5. Permission to nap, pause and be kind to our creative self

Well, this week I’m giving myself FULL permission (and you if you want it!) to go back to napping, and just resting more in general!!! (all in aid of happier productivity...is that a thing - it should be!)

Adding more commas, full stops and semi colons through the day (without guilt!)...so we can better enjoy and bounce through it all with MORE PLEASURE and less exhaustion, less pressure TO_DO stuff, less burn-out, less breakdown and collapsing into an involuntary FULL stops!

Mmmmm yep...Our world has conditioned us into these DO-ing soldiers and that is mostly how our value is measured, sadly. Not to say that I don't want to be productive in the studio, however, I don't want it to be held so tightly, with such pressure that I am exhausted after and have not enjoyed the ride. As we all know life seems to go fast and if you've lost someone close you surely know that life is so very precious.

We must make pleasure a priority, we must!

So...I’m talking short punchy power naps (of 10-20 mins) and garden gazing cuppa teas, cloud watching hiatus, stillness vacays, breathing spells...whatever you call it I WANT MORE and I want it written into my Creative constitution!

I love small moments tucked in one of my hammocks (yep I have 2) in fact I recently realised (whilst writing this) that my home is completely made for napping and pausing. Ha-ha let me explain.

When I think of my home, I can see how I have created a great big napping station: I see the deep deep couch (which is a sofa bed but not even folded away! HA!) and in it’s leafy greenness it is piled with all different flavour of jazzy cushions so I can always get snuggled in. My studio couch is luscious soft purple corduroy and sold to me with the words 'this is the MOST comfiest couch you will ever meet!' BOOM - SOLD! My studio leads dtraight out to the deck and there are the hammocks, beckoning me with their casual breeze blowing welcome.

Plus a king size bed and slothy bean bag thingy’s at every turn.

OK for those who need a sound scientific reason of why we should just nap more

1. It’s restorative: the pauses through the day definitely aid greater creative flow (as you heard on the video I have been experimenting with this and so far it's actually working well!)

2. It reduces stress, yep that too.

3. Boosts memory, oooh interesting...

4. Lifts mood (I can fully attest to that)

5. Make you more alert (yessss)

6. Plus this is a doozy...Researchers from Harvard Medical School found that while at rest, people burn 10% more calories in the late afternoon than in the early morning. If you're trying to lose weight, having a nap in the afternoon could help to boost your weight loss. Haha that's so cool. I love, love, love EASY world!

What's my bestest way to nap?

·       Keep your magic naps shortish. 10 to 20 minutes is a cracker for me. The longer you nap, the more you might feel woozy afterward.

·       Take naps in the early afternoon. Napping after 3 p.m. can interfere with nighttime sleep.

·       Do it in a peaceful place/hammock/darkish room where you wont be distracted.

After a magic nap, allow a moment to wake up and I sometimes do the shake it all out dance to get the blood flowing again and wahey...jump back into your day!

Follow up footnote: Sooooo I have to say following up from the 2 week block of studio time and adding in the sacred wee moments to nap, pause and replenish have been so liberating, so much easier to BE in the studio and the brilliant side benefit is that I feel excited to be in there and making better quality (less forced) work and it overall just feels lighter. Its interesting that naps/pauses can actually improve creative productivity (happy productivity) and leave me feeling more satisfied afters... YAY!

The napping station that is my home and studio: Yep Sherlock (our crazy kitty) naps a-lot too!