Have you ever seen the 1930s Coca Cola ads that boast about the Pause that Refreshes. Lovely women and handsome men are portrayed sipping their favorite ice cold beverage looking refreshed and delighted.
Now obviously that was all part of an advertising campaign, but there might be something to that pause that refreshes. A pause from the work of the day that refreshes us and helps us pursue it better next time we come back to it.
Avoiding Burnout
In the midst of all the work you have to do, it is important to avoid burnout – especially if you are inclined to being busy at work. Working harder and longer isn’t going to get you any medals. And if you are ambitious, you will most likely find that there is always more work to be done.
Now there will definitely be seasons when more work is necessary than others. If you are in retail, you might find that weekends and holidays are busier. If you are an accountant, tax season will more than likely have you slammed.
But in order to avoid burnout, you can create a bit of a pause in your schedule on days that are less demanding. Work to give yourself some space in between work and social commitments. You don’t have to go crazy cutting back, it only takes a pause to refresh.
Working Hard
There is a lot to be said for working hard. For getting up early, putting in the hours, applying yourself well to the task in front of you. Incredible things can be accomplished when you put your head down and focus on the work you have to do.
It’s funny to say, but I don’t find working hard to be all that difficult. I more find the endurance part to be my struggle. I remember doing math on my notebook paper in school and writing out the numbers and the formulas and just wishing for a problem that was actually difficult – I wanted to do hard work.
Fast forward twenty years and I find that the difficulties I expected to face are different than what I actually find hard. To just look at the surface, my work isn’t hard. Fixing people coffee drinks, ringing up transactions, creating schedules for employees, buying and staging new inventory, etc, etc.
Do you know what the hard part is for me? Applying myself well through the paperwork – which isn’t hard, just tedious. Now in all fairness, I believe I would struggle with the tedious part no matter what job I did.
Working Smart
I think it is our duty as God’s people to work hard, but also and very importantly, to work smart. There is no prize in life for crashing and burning with overwhelm. That is why a pause that refreshes is so important!
God gave us the seventh day in order to rest. In fact, Genesis 2:2 says that God finished creation and rested on the seventh day! And that brings up an interesting point about resting: He rested after He had completed what He set out to do.
I think we need to be mindful of our work and our schedules and to do the work we’ve agreed to do, not just throw responsibility out the window when we get tired or overwhelmed. That’s where working smarter and not burning out comes in. We need to practice endurance and good, old American stick-to-it-ive-ness until our mission is accomplished. And then, once done or at a good spot, a pause that refreshes has been earned and can be thoroughly enjoyed!
The Pause that Refreshes
Giving yourself time to enjoy a refreshing pause is up to you. If your schedule is max out, then consider which items are lower priority and that you might need to step back from. Also – and perhaps more importantly – stop agreeing to do more.
Sometimes it only takes a bit more pause in your week to bring greater peace of mind and a better quality of work to the rest of what you do.
Until Next Time!
Hope.
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