How Do You Relax for Better Productivity?

[Wayne Liew]

Apart from running your business, which can be stressful from time to time, how do you relax yourself to take a step, see things from a different perspective and refocus yourself?

[Harold Mansfield]

I find that drinking relaxes my mind. Not that I get to do it often anymore, but I've always enjoyed finding new locations to have a few drinks and meet new people. Hockey game in Phoenix. Seaside resort in San Diego, or even checking out a new place here in Vegas.

I don't do much of that these days. These days if I have all my work done, the house cleaned, laundry done, fridge stocked, new projects in the pipeline, and still have a few bucks to go out for an evening, or work on a side project of my own...that's pretty relaxing to me.

I'm looking forward to the day when I can do things like take time off and just hit the road somewhere again.

[Gabe]

Hah, funny you mention San Diego Harold, that's where I live.

My wife and I will go running at a park, go to a movie or spend an afternoon at Panera Bread to take it easy. On a long weekend we may drive up to Monterey or stay with my parents in Northern California. For weeks at a time we'll go stay with her parents or her sister on Cape Cod in the off season when all of the tourists are gone. I like getting away, but I like familiarity too. Unfamiliar things often require too much energy, so I usually go places I know.

For me, work is often relaxing. I'll put on some music and code for a while. Maybe look at Hacker News. Maybe go to the gym and listen to some Mixergy podcasts.

[Dan Furman]

I play Xbox, I shoot at the range, and like Harold, I like a nice session or three. Good cigars too - I like good cigars.

I've also become pretty handy as I get older, and I find house projects relax me. Electrical work is my favorite.

[billbenson]

Martial Arts. It's hard to think about work or the other problems of life when someone is trying to hit you. That and a good beverage.

[BobbyD]

I basically resort to going for walks and interacting with nature with the goal of trying not to think about work. With a small business I tend to always be "connected", I force myself to take these walks.

[DavidDeke]

I walk the beach and enjoy God's creation! Some of the best brainstorming sessions take place on the beach.

[TEA-Rex]

I sit down and remind myself why I don't want to be a professional seamstress. ;) When planning gets to overwhelming (seriously, waiting for calls back from people and pricing supplies and services and trying to think of the thing you haven't thought of, after working the day job, housecleaning, and schoolwork... It gets to be a lot.) I make a pot of tea, put on some music, and head to one of my hobbies that should never be my profession. After cussing at my sewing machine for half an hour making some progress in a personal project, I've normally come up with a solution to a problem, or at least am calm enough to think about it again.

[Wozcreative]

I like to do variety of things, walks in the park, sky diving, roller blading, ice skating, shooting ranges, life drawing classes, trade shows, shopping, playing video games, drawing/painting, dancing/clubbing.
I can't really afford to travel/take vacations as the places I'm usually interested in are costly (I don't care for those all inclusive beach resorts where you just eat and lay there)... so since I cannot do that, I will just make up things to do locally.

[patrickprecisione]

When I worked in Philadelphia, I used to go for a walk. I loved being right in the city and going to the park to clear my head. But I currently work in Long Island, which is all about driving. Now rather than walk around the park, I walk around Target. It's not quite the same...