Thanksgiving Break is just a few days away and Winter Break will soon follow. Take this time to rest and restore.
Rest your body and your brain. Take some time away from thinking about work and school and deadlines and students. Catch up with old friends. Spend time with family. Do something alone.
When you’re able to rest, you will often find that you’re then able to be reminded of all of the reasons your chose to pursue teaching or working in education. Rest allows your passion to be restored and as the saying goes “you can’t pour from an empty cup.”
In a recent article about what the brain needs to be creative the author stated–
According to research, the brain gradually stops registering a sight, sound or feeling if that stimulus remains constant over time. You lose your focus and your performance on the task declines.
When faced with a long creative problem, it is best to impose brief breaks on yourself. Brief mental breaks will actually help you stay focused on your task and improve your idea generation approach. A structured downtime can help you do your best work.
We tend to generate redundant ideas when we don’t take regular breaks. If you’re hesitant to break away because you feel that you’re on a roll, be mindful that it might be a false impression. Your brain needs downtime to remain industrious and generate better ideas.