Growing up on a farm in central Wisconsin, we prided ourselves on how hard we worked.  Some task, big or small, was always waiting to get done.I carried that same tough approach into my career.  I believed the longer I worked, the more successful I would be.

I know now that those long stretches of all work and no play were actually making me less productive.The situation today is magnified.  Cell phones allow us to check email any hour of the day or night.  Some of my friends admit to taking their phones to bed as if it’s a badge of honor.We celebrate going home at 5 PM, then talk about our work over dinner and fall asleep thinking about how much we’ll accomplish tomorrow.

We are proud when our children stay up until 3 AM to finish a paper.  We encourage our employees to keep a tablet beside the bed to capture ideas.  We send emails in the middle of the night afraid we’ll lose that thought if we wait until morning.

Warning! Overwork and exhaustion does result in less productivity and poor decision making.

While it’s important to “make hay while the sun shines”, (pun intended), it is just as important to enjoy this glorious summer.  To take time off – totally unplugged if possible, and replenish your energy and enthusiasm.

Relax, meditate, sleep, read books, journal, talk to interesting and entertaining strangers.  You’ll be rejuvenated and ready to return to the performance zone.