How to actually take a break
Tips on how to recharge properly so that you can come back stronger
Hey there,
As a founder, vacation is this thing that you know other people have, but for you always seems out of reach. I used to think that resting is a luxury, only accessible to those that have already succeeded with their startups (and success is defined by exit, IPO or whatever other long-term goals). Being on this journey for over 4 years now, I def. learned it’s a marathon with regular sprints - and so now my challenge shifted from “not truly committing to vacation” to “not knowing how to actually recharge properly”. This is why I thought I share a few reads that inspired me to try and take a break for the past few days. I think I succeeded 80% of the time, which is more than I ever achieved so far *pat myself on the back*.
I truly hope many of you can take a really good break this summer and recharge for what’s to come. This autumn is going to be busy, we have work to do and stuff to rebuild 💪❤️🚀.
How to rest so that you refill your energy tanks ⛽️
👉 The right way to unplug when you’re on vacation by Alexandra Samuel
Top Takeaway: Prepare and make arrangements with your colleagues, understand what really needs to happen while you are gone and what can wait till you return (probably most of the things can wait)
PS: Alexandra also just published her book Remote Inc. How to Thrive at Work…
Wherever You Are which is worth checking out!
👉 Every Excuse You’ve Ever Made for Not Unplugging on Vacation, Destroyed by Jenni Maier
Top Takeaway: Create your ToDo list for your return before you leave (and add things to that after you checked in with your team on your first day), and turn off your Slack and Email notifications during your break
👉 Managers, encourage your team to take time off by Sabina Nawaz
Top Takeaway: Provide clarity: proactively tell people how much time off they still can take and ask them when they plan to do so; if they can’t travel far, encourage them to take time off anyway and take that time for self-care and spending time with their families; model that it’s safe to take time off by taking your own time off seriously; encourage to take smaller breaks more frequently
😅 And if you still have a wait a little till your unplug & recharge vacation break, here are a few ideas on how to take breaks, w/o unplugging:
👉 Taking a break doesn’t always mean unplugging by Alexandra Samuel
In our community
After a super successful AMA last week with Jossie Haines, we're excited to announce our next one:
👉 Who? Mathias Meyer - Executive Leadership Coach to CTOs & Tech Founders; Writer, Startup Advisor, Founding Partner at The Intentional Organization
👉 What? AMA on leading and building tech teams
👉 Where? The #ask_community channel in our Teams at Work Slack. Not a member yet? Click here to get in.
👉 When? Monday, June 21 @ 8am PST/11am EST/5pm CEST
Make sure to join Teams at Work, our Slack community, to be a part of this event. Think of it as live, 2 min leadership coaching - entirely async! Stop by for a few minutes with a question, or stay for the whole thing.
P.S. If you missed our Slack AMA with Jossie Haines or Pat Kua, you can find them in the pinned messages of the #ask_community channel in our Slack community (LINK TO SLACK).
News from Bunch
This week, one of our pieces has been featured in GitConnected:
👉 Brief your team member under pressure (without micromanaging)
Top Take-aways: Choose the team member who’s skills align the most with the task, give them space to determine the HOW, focus on WHY when delegating, ask them what they think they can achieve in the time you have and let them commit to it
Tips from the Bunch AI Coach
This week’s tip How to actually unplug when on vacation by Brigid Schulte, Director at Better Life Lab helps you make sure that you make the most of your break - because resting is a skill ;) you have to build it 💪
Have a great week and in case you have a planned break: make the most of it!
Darja