Happy Friday!

Boy, am I glad to say that. My life has been a bit hectic lately, and likely to get worse before it gets better. But for now, I’m just happy to be back in town, watching the wheat tops blow in the wind across the highway.  Oh, wait…you don’t have wheat fields across an urban highway in your next of the woods?

Well, welcome to Texas.

This picture is the view outside my office window. Pretty sweet, right? It’s not uncommon to find farmland nestled right next to office buildings out here—developers get tax exemptions for “farm land” so you’ll often see a pasture with horses grazing next to a sprawling Fortune 500 campus.  Having grown up in Oklahoma, where cows were never more than five minutes away, I find this kind of scene peaceful. True, I spend many days with my back to the window, too busy to take a glance. However, if I’m facing a tough conversation with someone, a few deep breaths and a little field-watching calms me down and helps me prepare.

I have other tricks, too.  I often work through lunch (I think most corporate workers do), and I’ve found that five minutes with my crossword puzzle or Words with Friends can reset my brain and make me more productive.  When I’m writing, getting up to stretch or move a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer can help with that.

As crazy-busy as we all are these days, those little moments—a quick brain reboot—can help keep you sane.

What tricks do you use to recharge during a tough project/assignment? I’m always looking for new ideas!