Have Strategic Breaks
I give myself strategic breaks to counter the consequences of going intense.
Here's a tip: don't try to go intense every single day. I've found this tip useful for a wide variety of stuff in life. If a person does things intensely every single day, there's a high chance of them burning out and quitting the activity involved altogether.
An athlete or a bodybuilder can't work out intensely every single day. They need to give themselves breaks to rest and recuperate. An employee can't work at the office every single day of the week. They need time (like on weekends) to enjoy life and be with their family. A student can't be studying every single hour of the day. They need breaks to engage in other important things in life.
Instead of going intense every day, I deliberately give myself strategic breaks where I allow myself to rest and not engage in a particular activity. Here are some examples of where I would put a strategic break:
I aim to work out for 5 days a week. I give myself permission to rest on a couple of days during the week.
I try to write one blog post each day from Monday to Friday. I've purposely decided not to write on weekends.
I recall and reflect on close to 200 verses of the Bible for 6 days a week. I give myself a break from this spiritual activity on Sundays.
Working out, blogging, and recalling/reflecting on many Scripture verses are intense activities for me. If I do them every single day, I'm going to get tired. Worse, I may burn out and refuse to engage in them any longer. So, I give myself strategic breaks to counter the consequences of going intense.
I was talking to a gentleman a few days ago who was attempting to wake up early every day to spend time with the Lord. This is an honorable goal. But for many of us (myself included), it's quite challenging to get up early. One thing that might help is to give yourself permission to not get up early a couple of times a week. For example, you might wake up early only on weekdays and take a break for the weekend. It's a strategy that could help manage the intensity and make the goal of getting up early easier in the long run. The last thing you want to do is to go too intense for a short period of time, burn yourself out, and then never pick up the goal or activity ever again. Strategic breaks will help you mitigate the chances of burning out.
If you're looking to build consistency with something, try giving yourself strategic breaks to help you along the way. You'll likely be able to carry on the activity much longer and with better motivation in the long run.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
