Do you feel harried and burnt out? Are you burning the candle at both ends? Do you arrive at Monday morning unable, for the life of you, to remember any resting you did over the weekend?
If you have a life, and it’s a busy one, the best thing you can do is to take a Sabbath.
What is a Sabbath?
Sunday school classes as a kid taught me the broad strokes of the term “Sabbath”: a day off, no work, lots of rest. And, although I never really did the Sabbath thing much for most of my life, in recent years it’s become a personal thing for me again, in one particular kind of way. The digital way. For the last couple years, I’ve been taking not just any old Sabbath, but a digital one.
A Digital Sabbath? Huh? What’s that?
A Digital Sabbath is more or less what it sounds like. Get resting, and do it away from your devices. Turn off, unplug, and get away from any and all chargers.
It turns out that getting away from the hum of your devices is a great way to take a break in your life, and that doing so on a regular basis will help bring you a greater sense of calm. But it’s not just about making you more calm and peaceful. It’s also about making your more productive. And, it turns out, that working more doesn’t help you achieve more.
I write all about it in my ebook, The Present Principle.
(Get a free copy of if by going here.)
So what is The Present Principle?
The Present Principle is a 7-step model for getting your days off to a better start. It’s a model I used to better hack my mornings, and I hope it will inspire you to build a better morning routine that sets you up for success. It’s an important component to making sure you take time offline even outside of those digital sabbaths, because the Present Principle is a daily practice.
Do the two together, and you’ll win.
Here’s how it works:
P — PRAY (or PAUSE)
(I start my days with a cup of tea in hand, and a quick prayer of guidance, thanks, and direction. if prayer isn’t your thing, then just take a moment to PAUSE. take in life, and breath out your woes)
R — READ
(After prayer, my mornings start with reading. A bible, a devotional, and a a bit of motivating reading are my tools of choice.)
E — EXPRESS
(Following time in reading and prayer, I express my own thoughts. Use a journal, a post-it, and put pen to paper to share your thoughts and expressions.)
S — SCHEDULE
(Check in your day, and scan your week at large. I spend 5-10 minutes doing both in this time.)
E — EXERCISE
(Moving is key. Even if it doesn’t happen in the morning, getting in exercise of some sort into your day is essential to be happy, healthy, and grounded.)
N — NOURISH
(Do one thing today that truly nourishes you. Take a bath. Read a novel. Play with a baby. Do it for you.)
T — TRACK
(How did you do? How many of the seven steps were you able to complete today? Can you do better tomorrow?)
Enjoy!
