Every so often at work, I have to stop and let my computer update its system and then restart. It takes several minutes. That happened the other day and the message really struck me. I realized I was due for a system restart.

I’d been working long hours, traveling a lot, keeping up with outside interests and completing home projects. I was off track on several fronts, including my fitness routine. I was due for a system update.

I quickly scheduled a long weekend. In advance of it, I made a “To Do” list. Whether I completed it or not, didn’t matter. It just felt good to list everything I needed to do so the items weren’t weighing on my mind. I would do as much as I could. Anything I didn’t finish, I would schedule the time for in the coming weeks.

I also took time to journal and review my personal mission statement. I realized I had too much on my plate so I made a few phone calls, acknowledging to others that I had too much to do and it was time for someone else to step up. As much as I disliked removing myself from some committees, I realized I wasn’t doing any of us any good if I wasn’t doing it well.

I created a plan of action to get me back on track with some key areas that are important to me. For some reason, I always let those slide, and now they’re inked into my calendar.

Finally, I scheduled unscheduled time. It sounds crazy, but I have found that for me I need at least one weekend a month where I have nothing planned. I blocked those weekends on my calendar to keep them free.

Sometimes it’s good to restart the system.