Life Away from Work…
Time off? Vacation? Many people on a farm don’t buy into the rationale of taking time away and summer is a busy time for everyone in agriculture. After all, if you love what you do, every day is a vacation, right? “Wrong!” is what my response would be to that after a few days away. Let me ask you this…
- When are you going to make time to create special memories with your family? Before you know it, their car will go down the road to college…
- How will your mindset improve by getting away from your standard routine? Distance offers perspective.
- Would your creativity improve with different scenery? Getting out of your environment and relaxing both lead to greater creativity.
- How are you modeling life balance to others? I don’t want to be a hypocrite here, so can’t make any other comments – but would encourage you to contemplate your balance.
- Are you able to delegate pieces of your business? Even dairy farmers, who have to milk 365 days/year, need a back-up plan. If you don’t have one, your business is broken.
- Have you considered that your work is replaceable? I don’t think you can say the same about your mental or physical health.
- Where can you connect with others who need your heart or do your heart good? Different places provide you with new connections – and likely with those different than you.
- How do you want to be remembered? Workaholic or well-rounded human? It seems those living congruently with their life goals carry the greatest legacy.
- What happens to your spirit when you’re working non-stop? I’d suggest you consider the need for renewal for you and others in your life.
Personally, vacations give me the endurance to balance the demands of motherhood, entrepreneurship, speaking and farm. I never had a vacation growing up (the cows always took precedent), so it’s become a priority in our family’s life. And it’s almost always done with a ban on technology. It’s always hard to step way from the ever-present demands of life and business, but I find time away increases productivity, clears my head, offers much-needed distance and provides perspective. More importantly, it builds a treasure chest of memories for our family and friends – and make me a better human being. I hope you’ve invested in building your own treasury. If not, then why not get started now?
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I think I can stand as a perfect example of how quickly free time can slip away. I’m 20 years old, I work two jobs with freelance work on the side. When I go back to school, I’ll trade one of those jobs for another, but probably won’t be any less busy. It’s not a bad thing, but I do need to regard my free time carefully.
When I was in high school, my “fun” time was usually spent volunteering. Then again, I had more free time to myself. Now, my “me” time needs to be treated a little differently. I’m still learning the difficult lesson of saying “no” to certain things to allow room for myself to breathe.
This is a great post, with a very valuable point. Granted, it’s harder to take a real “vacation” on a college kid budget, but my little breaks, such as a long weekend at a theme park with friends, or even a few evenings away from my computer at the fair, have been hugely appreciated.
In fact, many people might be impressed to realize that I’m opting not to work over Christmas break and Spring break this upcoming academic year. I may have a little less spending money, but in the long run, I’ll have a bit more peace of mind.
Thanks for sharing, Michele!
This is so true! I work from home and can get so wrapped up in what I’m doing I tend to forget about the rest of the world sometimes. For the last two years Ive been promising my son we’ll go away somewhere special and haven’t gotten around to it… So I made myself get organized early for once, and we’re off on a fantastic holiday this Christmas. Spending quality time with your family is so important, they DO grow up so fast and I’ve promised myself that making happy memories will be my priority from now on!
I find it interesting how this next generation of parents wants to do better. I think this idea is one of them. I know this is something I find important to do with my family. I hope my children will love having the beautiful memories I plan to create for them.
Exactly, even if we drive ourselves crazy with it sometimes!
We’ve been talking about this very thing all summer. Here we are at the end of the summer and the few possibilities for vacation slipped away because we’re too busy. I read this and left it up on the ‘puter for my hubby to read.
Having said that, we have made a conscious choice not to get so big so that we have to employ people. What do you suggest for those of us in animal ag who want to stay small? It’s nearly impossible to find someone to watch the farm when there are animals involved.
Lona, at least you’re talking about it. Yes, I understand this is tough for smaller farms. Do you have neighbors who you can train? Or 4-H or FFA members you could temporarily employ? I’ve seen those tactics work with others. Best wishes – it’s really important for your family!
I interview so many farmers with young families who will comment that their spouses beg them to take some time off, to get away with the family, and they simply refuse. Too much to do, too much to worry about, too much… I understand the pressures of running a farm business, especially when livestock are part of the mix, but I always worry that they’ll miss out on the fun parts of being a parent, when those kiddos are little. The farmers who do get away, seem so much more grounded and focused. Even if it’s just two days, just a few miles away, take that vacation! Maybe call it a “family business” meeting if that puts it into an easier perspective.
Heather, I really appreciate this perspective – getting away, even for a day on an inexpensive trip, makes a huge difference.
[…] Cari Rincker on Aug.27, 2010, under Farm Life I have really resonated with this blog by agriculture social media guru Michele Payn-Knoper about breaking away from work to enjoy time with family. I related to this in my own life because […]