“If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”
-Herodotus
Greek Historian


Do you go to bed with work left unfinished, 16 emails left unanswered, and four customers that need you… or the world will end? Is this making you nuts? Have you lost your mind? Well, remember, as you torture yourself, “You DON’T live to work, you work to LIVE.” In other words, work should be a vehicle that allows you to do some very important things…like having fun with family and friends. It should not be the reason for your existence.

This type of thinking will keep you out of the loony bin and will, in fact make you an even more productive worker. So let’s do a little practice session for this Friday at 5:00. Ready, say it with me…”I AM DONE WITH WORK!” And if you want to add a sixth word that sounds something like…”Whoopee!” go right ahead.

Then turn off the computer, retire the Blackberry, and put a lighthearted or even funny outgoing message on your voice mail telling the world that you have officially checked out for the weekend. Your next step is to plan some relaxing or fun activities with your most important customers…your friends and family. Then focus all of your energy into doing two things: relaxing and having a blast. Do these two things with passion and enthusiasm, and when you come back, you will that much closer to becoming a top performer.

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