Last weekend, I traveled to my parents' house in Connecticut to celebrate my niece's first birthday and to spend time with my family. During the time I was away, a wonderful thing happened: I got the opportunity to flat-out relax.

True, I had my laptop with me, and I checked (and responded to) e-mail while I was away. I also spent bits and pieces of time on other work-related tasks, including writing a few articles, participating in a phone conference, and scheduling clients. My main focus, though, was spending time simply kicking back. I played board games, sat on the porch shooting the breeze, read things totally unrelated to organizing, watched my niece practice her walking skills, sipped wine in the yard, and watched the sun go down as I indulged in a hot fudge sundae at a local creamery.

An interesting thing happened as a result of all of this downtime: when I needed to focus again on work, I was able to do so with impressive ease, and was able to get more done in less time. I also got to savor a sense of calmness at having struck a fair balance between being productive and being able, for a while, to let go of all thoughts of productivity.

I noticed a similar thing happen earlier this year when I decided to set Saturdays as Days on Which I Do No Work: though it was (and often continues to be!) a big challenge to steer clear of work-ish tasks each Saturday, doing so almost always makes me more productive, more focused, and more efficient come Sunday. When I sit down at my computer after a day away from it, I get much more done in much less time than I used to when Saturday was an official workday. I've also been able to let go of the fatigue and frustration that accompanied the sense that I was working every single day of the week, and my happiness levels have risen accordingly.

All of this is to issue a simple--if not necessarily easy--request to you: this summer (a season that often seems to be about a month too short) challenge yourself to find ways of incorporating more chunks of pure rest and relaxation into your life. Ignore e-mail for a day (or at least half a day). For at least a few hours, turn off your cell phone, or leave your BlackBerry at home when you go to the beach. Let yourself enjoy at least a few bits of summer reading that give you nothing but pleasure. Spend an hour playing with your kids outside or listening to crickets in the yard instead of spending that hour worrying about getting organized.

For a little while, let summer slow you down a bit. There will be plenty of time to get back up to speed--and when you do, I'm willing to bet that you'll enjoy a greater sense of focus and productivity, and may even find that there's a little spring in your step.

Here's to a season of relaxation and renewal!