What is downtime?
- Having nothing to do.
- Holding pattern before you're able to continue work.
- Intentionally taking a break.
Downtime !== Boredom
More often than not, people express boredom during downtime. If you have nothing to do, but have the freedom to do other things, then...
Boredom becomes a choice.
If you accept boredom, you are choosing inaction.
Intentional inaction (or stillness), is fine. Beneficial, even!
Downtime === Freedom
It's an opportunity to do anything we want. Anything to benefit us personally, professionally, intellectually, emotionally.
Read a few pages of a book.
Watch videos of that course you bought last year.
Work on a side project.
Write in a journal.
Clean up your space (digital, physical, and mental).
Exercise. Meditate. Hydrate.
Practice or develop a new skill.
Help unblock yourself, or someone else.
Timebox your tasks
I recently started to timebox my tasks. In particular, the Pomodoro Technique has been super effective.
James Clear's 1% Rule for Continuous Improvement has dramatically influenced my actions. If spending 25 minutes helps me marginally improve in something, it's a massive success. Through daily repetition, the impact is exponential.
Accumulate small wins. Each win compounds.
Exponential winning.
Prioritize
Most of us usually want to improve ourselves. To be better than we are now. E.g. Improve our craft. Our mindset. Our health.
If we practice being conscious of opportunities, taking action becomes easier. ESPECIALLY during downtime. Small wins in short bursts.
If we habitually associate downtime with opportunity, we level up. Therefore, we win.
How will you prioritize during downtime?
What will you prioritize during downtime?
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