Doing without enjoying

[Question: What's the single biggest cause of overdrive?]

Nora Isaacs: A lack of unstructured downtime. As women, we take on too many projects, believe we have to fill up every ounce of our time, and can’t think of anything that we are willing to give up.

So we are doing everything, but many of us are not enjoying any of it! Even if you fill your time with fun things like going on a trip or socializing with friends, they take effort, planning, and energy.

Doing nothing

We don’t build in time for doing nothing. When we create space for “nothing,” something invariably happens, whether it’s creative ideas, connections with other people, deep rest, or spontaneous daydreaming.

But when we schedule every moment, we lose the opportunity for these things to arise. It’s like that old bumpersticker, Magic Happens. But we have to let it.

Writer Nora Isaacs – from Mediabistro interview – photo from noraisaacs.com

Her first book is Women in Overdrive: Find Balance and Overcome Burnout at Any Age

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See articles on self-care by Linda Dessau and Jennifer Louden
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Nora Isaacs, healthy women books, freeing yourself from pressure, relaxation for women

  11.07.06   By Douglas Eby   |  
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