By Jason Moxness, Market President, Core Bank
It was 6am on New Year’s Day and my alarm is going off after a very short night of sleep. I wake the family, load the car and head out on a twelve hour drive home from the mountains on icy roads so that I can get to work in the morning after a refreshing break.
I can tell you that the refreshments were slowly used up after 800 miles of driving. At 6am on January 2nd I did something that I’ve never done in the last 25 years – I decided to take a PTO Day on the 1st workday of the New Year. I decided that I wasn’t going to go into 2019 feeling tired and already behind in the race before it begins.
In a way, it felt like calling a timeout right after the tip off of a basketball game. Who does that?? I did!
I would highly recommend this to others who might also be feeling the need to catch up… whether it’s the beginning of the year, or just feeling the burn at some point throughout the year. For many of us the holidays are fun and filled with everything from family events to fun parties. But they somehow lack what they’re meant to do – bring relaxing and rejuvenating fulfillment. It’s the classic, “I need a vacation after the vacation.”
So what does one do on one of these unscheduled PTO days?
This is different for everyone, but I’m someone who doesn’t do well with a day off. I have a need to accomplish something, so I rarely slow down to just “do nothing” and that day was no exception. I can tell you that the results I achieved were exactly what I needed. It was a banner day!
After a leisurely (short) morning at home going through the mail and Christmas cards that arrived while we were gone, I went to “work”. Dressed in jeans and a sweater. I took my laptop and worked wirelessly from my favorite coffee shop – The Roasterie at Lenexa Public Market. It was here that I did pretty much everything I would have done at work. I worked through 400 emails, returned phone calls, set appointments, did some short term planning and wrote this blog. I put in a full day’s work in half a day and was able to do so in a casual, relaxed environment. It was a good way to regain some control and perspective on the year that was only 36 hours old.
In previous years, I seemed to plow into January right from the holiday. I would find myself stressed and overwhelmed before I had a chance to find my footing. This year, I decided to take a deep breath before starting down the mountain side. It was just like what I did last week as I peered over the Black Diamond ski runs on vacation. Taking one turn at a time. And occasionally looking back up the mountain to admire the scenery while feeling a sense of accomplishment.
So this year, I looked forward to January 3rd – my first day of 2019 in the office, doing what I love doing with all of you in Kansas City. I enjoy and appreciate interacting with all of you. Happy New Year from all of us Core Bank!