There are great benefits to taking time off. Truly off. Most professionals, especially entrepreneurs, find it extremely difficult to put the phone down, walk away from the computer, and forget about work altogether. But it can be done.
As a creative entrepreneur with a home studio, it can be so easy to sneak away for a bit of sewing or get up early to write on the weekend. It takes serious effort to not do it, actually. Aside from leaving my phone and laptop “off,” here is my trick for slowing down.
Brunch.
It might be an urban cliché, the weekend date over eggs. But, for me and my family it isn’t that at all.
While we sit down nearly every night together, at brunch we are so much more relaxed. From the food served―butter and jam on bread some days―to our attire (pajamas preferred), brunch is chilling out together. The conversations are sillier, the meal is leisurely, and the winter sunshine fuels us as much as the adults’ caffeine.
Even if we go out to brunch, our spots are casual (but take reservations so we don’t have to wait in line with kids). The kids are given my sketchbook to entertain themselves while we wait for oysters. My husband and I intertwine our fingers under the table and don’t miss our phones.
It may only be an hour, but brunch is the hour that sets us up for dedicated family time. It is the hour that shows us we can indeed turn off and tune into others. It is the hour that it takes to give us the rest of the day.
Cheryl Arkison is a writer, quilter, and mom. She writes and teaches on quilting, craft, creativity, food, and family—all from her dining room empire. From this space she wrote her first book, Sunday Morning Quilts (co-authored with Amanda Jean Nyberg) and her second book, A Month of Sundays. Her third book will be released in 2015. A proud first generation Ukrainian, she is committed to not letting the artistry of food and craft from her heritage pass by unnoticed in the modern age. Cheryl is the mother of three kidlets and wife to her entrepreneur husband. www.cherylarkison.com