Long Weekends, Introspection and Recharging the Batteries

 

If you live in the United States you more than likely have spent the last few days celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday.  Along with a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, I also took a little time this weekend to brave the cold, hop on the bike and put a few more miles on the motorcycle.

I'm not really a big fan of facing the crowds in the malls or retail stores on Black Friday, but I did take advantage of the extra time off to start a painting project in the kitchen on Saturday. And, although it was a busy weekend, I think the thing I enjoyed the most was slowing down and spending some quiet time thinking about the past year and contemplating the future.

I'm a pretty introspective guy and enjoy those times when I can slow down enough to think about the successes and failures of personal and professional projects and initiatives. I also believe it's important to celebrate successes and recharge the batteries from time to time. Long weekends help me do that.

For project teams there always seems to be so much to do and never enough time to do it. At least it seems to feel that way. Golfing great Ben Hogan said, "As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round."

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in work and all the other things that need to get done that we forget to slow down once in a while to celebrate victories and recharge the batteries. Taking that time is critical to avoiding burnout, encouraging creativity and maximizing productivity.

Later this week our department will be spending time at a quarterly offsite to do just that. Normally, there is a working session, food and an afternoon of doing something fun together. I have come to enjoy the time to think about where we've been and where we're heading with the team (and I don't mind the little bit of organized goofing off either).

Did you enjoy the long weekend? What do you do to keep the team's batteries charged so they can perform at their best?