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Updated: August 26, 2025 How to

With summer slipping away, here's how to carve out some 'me' time

By Kym Dakin-Neal, guest columnist

I woke up this morning with a realization — it’s almost the end of summer here in Maine, and I’ve not gone to the beach. Not once!

Kym Dakin-Neal

While we’ve had plenty of perfect beach days, I’ve spent them cranking out work and trying to check off the to-do list  … that never gets done. Sound familiar? We live under the rule of productivity culture: the idea that we have to earn time off by first conquering everything else on that damn list. It’s a trap. And ironically, it keeps us from doing our best work.

I need to remind myself — and maybe you, too? — that stepping away doesn’t make us less professional — it makes us more effective. Rest sharpens creativity, presence and problem-solving.

Taking breaks, carving out space for meaning and even reshaping our relationship to time itself can radically transform how we show up in work and in life.

Why time off matters 

Mindfulness has long carried a quirky, “woo woo” reputation in corporate life. Yet the evidence is clear. Companies like Google, Intel and General Mills have introduced meditation and reflection programs that help employees relieve stress, communicate better and think more creatively.

And it isn’t just about productivity. It’s about meaning. Only 13% of Americans report finding their work truly meaningful. Only 36% are actively engaged in their jobs. That leaves the majority of people working long hours in roles that feel unfulfilling — and burnout is inevitable. Taking time off interrupts this pattern. It gives us space to ask: What makes this day meaningful for me?

Rethinking time itself

Part of the problem is the way we relate to time. In the West, we operate under what Isaac Newton called “absolute time” — a clock that ticks relentlessly forward, demanding that we keep up. But modern physics, including Einstein’s theory of relativity, shows us that time isn’t absolute — it’s relative to perspective and context.

Even more intriguing, in many cultures time isn’t seen as linear at all.

A 2003 Australian study of indigenous peoples' perceptions of time found that they often placed events in circular patterns, with the most important ones appearing “closer” in time.  

Imagine organizing your day not by rigid blocks on a calendar but by circles of priority: writing, meaningful conversation, time with family. Everything else falls further out in the circle, rather than running your schedule. It’s a liberating reframe. Instead of being driven by urgency, we can be guided by importance.

Six practices for rest and renewal 

  • Breathing breaks: Between tasks, take 3 to 5 mindful breaths. It resets your nervous system in under a minute.
  • 3-2-1 practice: Notice three things you see, hear and feel; then two; then one In just three minutes, you’ll feel calmer and more grounded.
  • Meaningful marbles: What makes a day meaningful for you? Is it the same as having a good day? Or maybe, for you, it’s more about learning something. Or the conversation you had with a friend. At the end of the day, if it was meaningful for you, drop a marble in a jar. Over time, this becomes a visual record of what truly matters … to you.
  • Circle your time: Sketch your day as circles instead of blocks. Give the largest space to what feels meaningful, not just urgent.
  • Digital helpers: Try apps like Calm for guided meditations that fit into even the busiest schedule.
  • Summer 'to-don't' list: Each week, let at least one task fall off the list. Notice if it matters as much as you thought.

The bigger picture

Without intentional pauses, we risk spending our lives checking off boxes that — at the end — won’t matter.

Think about that old “rocks in a jar” demonstration: if you fill the jar with tiny pebbles first, there’s no room for the big rocks. But if you start with the big rocks — your priorities, your meaningful activities — then the small stuff can still find its way into the gaps.

Taking time off isn’t about escaping responsibility. It’s about making sure we have the energy, focus and clarity to bring our best selves to the work that truly matters.

About the author

Kym Dakin-Neal is an award-winning author and co-creator of Nugget, a meeting-engagement app. 

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