Taking Time Off (Or Good Breaks and Bad Breaks)

Yesterday was a bad day for me. I sat down for a â€œbreakâ€ to catch a ball game, and I donâ€™t thing I ever looked back. There was always one more show or one more game to keep me from what I knew I needed to be doing. My excuse was that everyone needed a break now and then.

It didnâ€™t matter to me that I wasnâ€™t done doing the few things I needed to do. I was ready to take a break â€“ so I did. That one break lasted approximately 11 hours. Once I got started, I couldnâ€™t seem to stop myself (or is it once I got stopped I couldnâ€™t seem to get started). Either way, I wasted the entire day doing absolutely NOTHING!

Taking a break is perfectly okay. Spend the day at the park with the kids. Lie outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Go for a long walk for no reason other than to go for a long walk and enjoy the quiet of that walk. Sitting in front of the television for 11 hours (no matter what programming might be on) is just a waste of time.

Next time I need a break, Iâ€™m going to ask myself some questions first.

1. Is it good for me? Will I get some kind of benefit from the activity that I will be doing?

2. Is it good for my family? Will the people I love most be hurt are helped by what Iâ€™m going to do?

3. Is it good for my life? Will the activity increase my health, add to my career or help my education or knowledge or will it decrease it?

4. Is it good for the people in my life? Will what I do be a blessing or encouragement to the people I encounter during the day, the week, or my life?

If the activity or break doesnâ€™t have some benefits (for me or those around me) then I have to just walk away and let it go. Itâ€™s time that I break the break habit and get on with whatâ€™s important.

Kathryn Lang


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