Like the Danish concept of hygge or Japanese ikigai<\/a>, fjaka is one of those terms that has no direct translation.<\/p>\n Luka Tomas, Flash Pack’s Croatia guide<\/a>, describes it as a kind of siesta.<\/p>\n Read more: “I celebrated my 30th birthday by travelling alone”<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n “There’s one part of the trip where we\u00a0take the local catamaran to Hvar island in the south of Croatia,” he says. “We head for a small beach and I tell everyone, ‘It\u2019s fjaka time!\u2019<\/p>\n “It\u2019s about lazing about and doing nothing. This is a time for staring into the sea, hanging out and relaxing.”<\/p>\n But it’s not just about kicking back on the beach. Fjaka is an integral part of Croatian identity and represents a form of nothingness so profound, you have to experience it to know what it means.<\/span><\/p>\n Croatian poet Jak\u0161a Fiamengo likens it to “a faint unconsciousness” where “the sense of time becomes lost”, says\u00a0New Yorker\u00a0Kristin Vukovi\u0107<\/a>, who has family roots near Zagreb.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n How does Fjaka work?<\/strong><\/p>\n “Fjaka is a sublime state in which a human aspires for nothing,”\u00a0Vukovi\u0107\u00a0tells BBC Travel.<\/span><\/p>\n “Fjaka is something that can\u2019t be learned; in Dalmatia, it\u2019s considered a gift from God… Various Dalmatians I spoke with over a dozen visits explained that fjaka is an elusive concept that is experienced in different ways.”<\/p>\n Traditionally, this would mean taking time out in the middle of the day, when the Croatian summer heat is at its most potent.<\/p>\n “Up until a couple of years ago here we had double working times here,” says Tomas. “You come to work at 8, leave at 1-2pm to have lunch and a nap, and then you return at 5.”<\/p>\n These days, he says, the demand of tourism means many people cannot experience fjaka in the same way but it’s still a thing in some places.<\/p>\n Read more: Get lost in the world’s most walkable cities<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n No matter how you actualise fjaka, it’s the mindset that really counts. Fjaka lets you escape real life and press the reset button in a profoundly relaxed state.<\/p>\n Guide Dino Ivan\u010di\u0107 tells Vukovi\u0107 that fjaka is part of him: “When he\u00a0<\/span>pictures a man in the state of fjaka, he is stretched out in a hammock by the sea under the shade of a tree with a full bottle of wine within reach, a fish line tied on his toe.”<\/p>\n How can we learn from fjaka?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Clearly, you can’t just desert your midday budget meeting for a languorous two-hour siesta. Nor can you hang a hammock from your office rafters with a bottle of vino to hand (here’s dreaming…).<\/p>\n But, in an age where three in four Britons<\/a> feel overwhelmed by stress and Americans are pushed to the limit by a culture of overwork<\/a>, we could all benefit from some proper relaxation.<\/p>\n Read more: 14 secrets of a kick-ass digital nomad<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n More than ever, we need a window to regenerate the mind and body.<\/p>\n So rather than rev ourselves into a frenzy of September alertness, now is exactly the time to step back and make some new resolutions around wellbeing. Here’s how to bring a little fjaka your work-life:<\/p>\n 1. Forget about productivity<\/strong><\/p>\n The average Croatian does not care about productivity during their hazy Fjaka chill-down and nor should you.<\/p>\n For all the great guidance we get on doing the most difficult tasks first or mapping out your day in half-hour segments, research overwhelming points to the fact that we are most productive when we’re happy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read more: The truth about being single in your 40s<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Ergo, you should stop analysing whether you’re doing enough or in the right way and instead just concentrate on getting the right down-time.<\/p>\n Some of the greatest ideas formulate when we’re in a state of rest<\/a>\u00a0(legend has it Archimedes came up with his “Eureka!” moment in the bath), so prioritise your wellbeing and the rest will take care of itself.<\/p>\n 2. Slow things down<\/strong><\/p>\n At its core, Fjaka is about slow living: long, lazy afternoons by the sea, a shady spot in a square with a bottle of Karlova\u010dko\u00a0for company, falling into a delicious fatigue on the bow of an island-hopping sailboat.<\/p>\n Now naturally, you’re not going to find some of these things in downtown Manhattan or rush-hour Manchester. But you can take away the ethos, which is: work can wait. It’s possible to cut yourself loose from that circle of “right here, right now”.<\/p>\n Read more: Is it OK to solo travel if you’re in a relationship?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Arrive at work early, so that you avoid the hectic commute and have time to ease yourself in before everyone arrives. Get out of the office at lunchtime and take a full one-hour break. Use your time to wander, letting your mind wander and rest at the same time. Don’t go out every evening.<\/p>\n Resist the temptation to fill each minute your day and instead create time to do nothing.<\/p>\n 3. Don’t save up your down-time<\/strong><\/p>\n Where fjaka is concerned, Croatians don’t work frenetically for weeks on end in hope of some well-deserved break, and nor should you.<\/p>\n Fjaka should be part of your everyday life, not an after-thought filed away under “would be nice if”. For one thing, if you do this it will probably never happen. For another, it won’t be effective.<\/p>\n Read more: Hot September holidays to book right now<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n If you divide off your relaxation time as something that only happens in a spa or at your weekly yoga session, you’re only giving yourself permission to be relaxed in those situations.<\/p>\n Being calm doesn’t come with an allocated postcode or time slot. You should be able to access fjaka – your inner state of drowsy chilldom – whenever you want, and on a daily basis. It’s about being gentle and kind to yourself.<\/p>\n 4. Make room for nothing moments<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/hvar_croatia_2-1024x658.jpg\")
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