Stop, revive, survive - a timely lesson to avoid crash and burn

In New South Wales (NSW) Australia, we’ve had a long running road safety campaign called Stop, Revive, Survive. The campaign urges drivers who have a long journey ahead of them to stop every 2 hours for a short break - whether it’s to have a coffee and something to eat or to walk about and stretch their legs.

The point of the campaign is to reduce the number of deaths on the road, particularly during major holiday periods when just about everyone packs up and jumps in the car to go somewhere.

Research has shown a long journey is very fatiguing, particularly so for the driver as they require high concentration levels. It has also shown that about two hours concentration is all we can take before the possibility of mistakes creep in.

What has this go to do with creative infopreneurs? A lot, I believe.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m in the ‘drivers seat’ in front of my computer I’m very eager to get to my destination - whether it’s writing, research or general catch up. So much so that when I start to feel a bit stiff in shoulders from all that hunching over or my mouse arm aches, I ignore it.

I say to myself, ‘just a few minutes more, then I’ll stop for a break’ - but I don’t. And when I finally do stop, it takes me quite a while to iron out the kinks in my neck and back enough to get out of the chair!

Maybe it’s me, I don’t know. But what I do know, the longer I sit in the ‘drivers seat’ the more fatigued both my mind and body become. And that’s not good as it takes a toll on the quality of my work, and I take pride in what I do. Even more so if I’m being paid for it!

I believe we owe it to ourselves to get into the habit of every couple of hours to stop what we are doing, get up and move around. Take advantage of this time to chill out, have something to eat, reflect on what you’ve been doing, do some exercise. It doesn’t matter what. But of one thing I’m sure, when you go back to what you were doing, you’ll feel refreshed and motivated and a lot more productive. I know I do.

Give it a try and and you’ll soon reap the benefits.

Stop, Revive, Survive.