BAL ANCE
M a k i n g I t Wo r k
How do you pull yourself out of a work rut?
“When I’m in a rut, I try to do something that makes me feel really uncomfortable. Most recently, I took an improv class and did a comedy set at a fundraiser for my kids’ school in front of an audience of about 1,000 people. That experience gave me a year’s worth of energy. Doing something that makes you feel uncomfortable forces you to use a new skill set. I realized that the reason I felt so nervous backstage was that I cared so much. Sometimes when we get into a rut, we forget that we care.”
RANDI ZUCKERBERG, 36, AUTHOR AND FOUNDER OF ZUCKERBERG MEDIA
80 R E A L S I M P L E F E B RUARY 2018
“Sometimes there is a big, looming task you need to check off so you can become more productive and creative. You’ve got to take some time to clear the deck a bit. I do retreats for myself when I need to write. I will go away for three days and I’ll say, ‘Don’t call me unless the place is burning down.’ Coming back, I feel really rejuvenated because I’ve had an opportunity to focus on myself. It’s not always exciting— sometimes I will just go to Panera and plant myself at a table for four or five hours. Being away from the chaos and turning the ringer off helps a lot.”
“A work rut can mean a lot of things for me. It can be feeling overwhelmed by what needs to get done, or it can be a creative rut, when the synapses are just not firing. I find when there is a lot of output, whether I’m developing a story or content, I need to take time to recharge and refill the creative well. To do that, I watch a lot of television. I also listen to a lot of podcasts when I’m cooking and cleaning. That’s really helpful for getting my creative juices flowing. I get my best ideas when I’m linking them to real-life stories.”
GREGORY HICKS, 46, PROFES SOR AND CHAIR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF DEL AWARE
SANA AMANAT, 35, VICE PRESIDENT OF CONTENT AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AT MARVEL COMIC S
“I believe fear often holds us back, and to get myself out of that space, the thing I have to do is literally create space. That usually means achieving the high of some sort of a workout, getting out of the building and pushing myself. I live in San Francisco on a big hill, and when I walk or jog to the top of that hill, it’s the closest I feel to being on top of the world. When I push up the hill and see a view of the city, I feel like I have the space and drive to think about what I need to tackle next. It really helps me get those endorphins going. That’s when I feel most powerful.”
“If I am in a rut at work, I change my schedule for the day. We ship everything out of our office, so if I’m feeling like I can’t think of what our next photo shoot should be or I’m stuck on a design concept, I’ll leave my space and help pack shipments. Sometimes I will head down the street to people watch. In New York City, there is not a second during the day that’s dull. I will put my jacket on and go outside, and right there in my face is so much to take in. Leaving the office and using my brain in a different way frees up room for new ideas.”
CAS SIE DIVINE, 40, HE AD OF QUICKBO OKS SELFEMPLOYED AT INTUIT
MIGNONNE GAVIGAN, 36, A JE WELRY DESIGNER IN NE W YORK CIT Y
Illustration by Andrea Mongia
P H OTO G R A P H S C O U RT E SY O F S U B J ECTS
By Jane Por ter
