What to do when you are overloaded with work

I could have done it all over again and worked all weekend. But, I resisted. I resisted because I didn’t want to have two weeks in a row of non-stop work. Is it any wonder that Friday I had a pounding migraine and felt unease when I put my head on the pillow at night?  I had not given myself a sufficient break in several days.

Here’s what I did instead of working all weekend:

• I walked to Starbucks and took my computer to sort emails in a very casual fashion. My husband was out kayaking and I took a moment to run out an snap a photo of him. I only stayed at Starbucks for about an hour.
• I went to brunch at a client’s new restaurant. After my amazing meal and a mimosa, I came home and took a long nap. That headache was still present and I was just super tired.
• I got to bed early on Saturday night.
• Sunday, I worked on the one project I really needed to for about an hour. I spent another hour just getting ready for the week. I did laundry, cleaned the house and we had a friend and his daughter over for dinner (we walked to pizza down the street).

I feel so much more relaxed this Monday morning than I would have if I logged 8-16 hours of work over the weekend.  I still have a huge to-do list but taking just a little time off  has me more energized for my week.  It’s back to the grind this morning.

RESOURCES:  Inc. – What to Do When You’re Overloaded: 7 Tips