Balance is an elusive concept — and so relevant to so many business situations.  I have enjoyed adding to our series on Balance — last year, we identified more than 20 things a business owner must balance.  Should we focus inside or outside?  Should we build to last or build to flip? How about Finance vs Soul? Or, work on strengths or weaknesses?

Another great one is to balance, for you, the right amount of hard work and the right amount of down time.  This article in the New York Times last summer by Tony Schwartz provided some good food for thought, as does a recent article in the Harvard Business Review titled, The Case for Slacking Off by Manfred F. R. Kets De Vries from which the following excerpts were taken.

Managing Yourself: Doing Nothing Does Not Get Much Press

Time to reflect is not meaningless, is not doing nothing

“I have learned from experience that the most effective executives realize that doing nothing is good for their mental health. They can take a step back and consciously unplug themselves from the compulsion to always keep busy, the habit of shielding themselves from certain feelings, and the tensions of trying to manipulate their experience before even fully acknowledging what that experience is. Turning down the volume on life can be extremely beneficial and brings them to regions of the mind that they are otherwise busily avoiding.

“And while they’re in these regions of the mind, they’re more likely to generate novel ideas. By inducing unconscious thought through reflection they modify the very nature of their search for innovative solutions to complex issues. They understand that doing nothing is the best path to productivity.”

More of my blog posts about finding business balance, managing business time

• Balance: Key to Business Success
• Math and Soul in Balance
• Culture Like Fine Wine or Great Coffee