It is probably the time of year, but I've spoken to a lot of people recently who REALLY need a holiday. I know all industries have time pressures, but I do feel that media, along with law, is perhaps one of the worst for people working long hours. Being frazzled is a badge of honour- I spoke to an exec producer recently who admitted he has worked every weekend for the past two years. My hours are not drastically long, but because I juggle two jobs I often find myself checking work emails before bed. The arrival of webmail and blackberries has done us no favours in terms of keeping a work/life balance. Most of the freelancers I know avoid booking holidays because they fear having to turn down a brilliant job, and they don't rest in the periods in between work because they are out touting for more!
As ususal, the Bible has some pretty good advice on how to avoid burnout, and it's very straightforward.Take one day off a week. Really off. Complete downtime, family time, God time. I'm not sure it matters when we take it, just that we do. It should not be something we feel guilty about, as it was made for our good, not the other way around (Mark 2:27), but we can't go too long avoiding something God designed us to need.
The following is a quote from Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell (p18):
Sabbath is a day when my work is done, even if it isn’t.
Sabbath is a day when my job is to enjoy. Period.
Sabbath is a day when I am fully available to myself and those I love most.
Sabbath is a day when I remember that when God made the world, he saw that it was good.
Sabbath is a day when I produce nothing.
Sabbath is a day when I rermind myself that I am not a machine.
Sabbath is a day when at the end I say, “I didn’t do anything today,” and I don’t add, “And I feel so guilty.”
Sabbath is a day when my phone is turned off, I don’t check my email, and you can’t get ahold of me.
Jesus wants to heal our souls, wants to give us the shalom of God. And so we have to stop. We have to slow down. We have to sit still and stare out the window and let the engine come to an idle. We have to listen.
One of the ways we can be distinctive in this industry is to operate out of a place of rest. It take practice to say no to things, to let that email wait, to prioritise sanity over success, but it is worth doing. I hope we can encourage each other in this- I certainly need reminding.
Comments (3)
Posted by Mike Thornton 23 Jul 2010 at 09:28
As a freelancer I learnt the hard way that not having a holiday, in case a dream job came up, was a big mistake.
Now I book my summer holiday dates early in January and book and pay for a proper holiday which is a digital fast as well for 2 weeks. I tried one week so as not to take me out for too long but it isn't long enough. I find that I am only just winding down by the end of one week and if there is any significant travel too it really isn't long enough to do what a holiday should do.
My only concession is I check my answer phone every 48 hours and deal with any important calls but then the phone goes off again. My clients know this is what I do, they regularly ask earlier in the year when I am going to be on holiday so they can plan accordingly, and I send a global email out about a week before reminding everyone I will be away and my responses will be limited to checking my answer phone, but no emails, blogs tweets for two weeks.
As to a sabbath, that is more of a challenge. As a family we take a Jewish sabbath, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, as being involved in church as both Sally & I are, means that Sunday is rarely a day of rest! However maintaining a digital fast is more of a challenge, although it does remain an aim. I do love Rob Bell's description of the Sabbath and as we often see on school reports "must try harder!"
Mike.
Posted by Elizabeth Hunter 23 Jul 2010 at 16:00
Wow, that is really disciplined. I like the phrase 'digital fast', since I got a phone I can access email (and facebook) on it has become a bit of a reflex and I check far more regularly than I need to. Also the idea of Jewish Sabbath- so many people I know find Sunday's exhausting!
Thanks for sharing Mike- hope your two weeks are fruitful and restful, whenever they are.
Posted by Lin Ball 28 Jul 2010 at 11:02
I'm another freelancer. I have just come back from 2 weeks' holiday - the longest break in years, perhaps ever. I made the decision to 'digitally fast' - normally I can't resist taking the laptop to check on emails etc - and, d'you know what? I survived! I came back to about 140 emails last night - less than I was expecting - and, having trawled through them, I find the world has not fallen apart when I wasn't looking. I like Mike's idea for the Jewish sabbath, too ... must give that some thought.