I Do Not Like Mondays

“I haven’t had a day off in forever, and I don’t have the energy for my job right now.”

I’ve heard that all too many times. We get crammed with work, chores and extracurricular activities so much that it never seems to end. So many jobs today don’t let up; we could stare and stare and stare at a computer screen, working 24/7/365 if we wanted to, and the work would just keep coming in and going out.

If we let it go that way, that is. You need to set boundaries and limits to what you will do, because for many, technology has enabled a constant and continual work cycle. It’s great for efficiency and bad at the same time — It can run you straight into the ground.

There is what I call and have found to be the “Law of Diminishing Returns.” It’s very simple. As you do more and more work without a real break, you get run down and become less and less efficient and effective at doing the same work. 

So it takes you longer to achieve the same results you would have reached in less time if you were mentally rested and refreshed. Make sense?

It reminds me of my phone. It can do all sorts of things and run all kinds of apps. It’s a great machine. But oddly, sometimes it doesn’t really work for making calls. I have to cycle it off and back on for it to work properly.

Remember to power yourself down sometimes, too, and do it before you hit that run-down, diminished point. Do it regularly and set those boundaries.

Content © Aaron G. Marsh