Repeat after me. It’s okay if I’m not available 24/7. One more time. It’s okay if I’m not available 24/7. Did you feel a bit of anxiety even just having to repeat that? If so, you might need some more downtime in your life.
Giving a speech can be a difficult task under the best circumstances. But if you are busy, distracted, and frazzled, it’s nearly impossible to deliver a winning presentation. That’s why we need to pursue balance. The kind that allows time for quiet thought and rest. Let’s look at the problem of overloading our schedules and expecting too much of ourselves. Then let’s see how we can start to become better speakers simply by stepping away sometimes.
The Problem: Overload
Juliet Funt has spoken and written about a related concept which she calls “white space—strategic rests and pauses between our busy-ness that give us a chance to reflect and think critically about our work and ourselves.” Funt says silent thinking seems counterproductive, and it scares us because we are afraid of being unproductive and quiet. And so instead of engaging in the downtime we so desperately need, “we go to a new fuel source, the source of exertion, and we work hard, and we drive harder, and we log more hours, and we stay connected, and we feel as if exertion will replace the gems of thoughtfulness.”
We pack our schedules so full that we don’t have time to really play or engage in entertainment or creative hobbies. While those things can seem unproductive, they are important pieces if we want to be whole and healthy humans.
Listen, I’m preaching to the choir here. I’m an Enneagram 3 (the task-driven, achiever type). And sometimes I just keep working and working and working even when I know I need a break. When I’m in overdrive, my brain gets fuzzy, my body gets achy, I make more mistakes, and it takes me twice as long to do my work. And more often than not, the work I produce during times of overload isn’t great. I’m trying to get better at knowing when my work/downtime balance is out of whack. I’m trying to stop and go for a walk, read something just for fun, or bake cookies with my kids. After some downtime I’m able to return to my work with renewed energy and focus—the kind that helps me produce better work, faster.
The Solution: Downtime
My favorite downtime activity is climbing into my hammock with a book. When I do, I leave my phone inside, and I do my best to remove the word “should” from my vocabulary for this small window of time. Whenever I feel thoughts creeping up of what I “should” be doing, or how I “should” be spending my time, I remind myself that “should” starts with “shhhhh…”. And I tell myself that this downtime is making me a better writer, speaker, professor, and mom.
Here are a few other ways you can start practicing more downtime.
- Turn off your phone for a set amount of time. Or silence it. Don’t do anything that involves a screen. No computer, TV, or phone. Just get away from technology, because it doesn’t lead to the rich kind of downtime in which your mind is free to wander and make unexpected connections.
- Drive without any noise. Instead of filling up your commute time with music or podcasts or audio books, just be quiet. You might find that in the absences of noise and distractions, you come up with innovative ideas or solutions you hadn’t thought of. That’s the power of downtime.
- Take a walk. Physical exercise won’t just help you get in better shape, it can also lead to clearer thinking and a more positive emotional state. Set aside time after a meal each day or every other day to walk and clear your thoughts.
Your presentation performance will be better if you live a more balanced daily life. You don’t have to be constantly accessible. Your schedule doesn’t have to be so full that you don’t have time to connect and create and breathe. How can you give yourself the gift of downtime today?
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