It’s okay to take a day off.
When you have your own business or you’re working on a startup, it’s essentially a 24-hour job, especially at the beginning. When you’re not actively “producing,” you’re thinking about the business, planning, or wrestling with the latest choices you have to make. The idea of a “day off” feels as illusory as a month on Mojito Island, because you’re never really off. You’re just working inside your head. And if your mind is occupied with your business anyway, why not just get something done?
But you should take a day to let yourself escape into a non-work activity as often as you can. Really escape, not just change the setting in which you’re thinking about your business. Take a day to engage with the people around you, the people you care about, in activities that you can enjoy.
Sometimes you might feel guilty or anxious when you take time away from your business, which in turn can create an aversion to taking breaks. You might actually forget how to enjoy being in the moment with people or with what you’re doing. That’s a warning sign. You need the break, the balance in how you occupy yourself. It will help you maintain the creative energy you need to solve new problems as they come up, and it will help you keep your perspective properly calibrated. It also gives your brain the space it needs to process problems in the background, which can yield insights you’d never get to without the break. Plus, the relationships in your life may improve because you’re easier to relate to and be around when you aren’t pre-occupied.
If all goes well you are going to have your business for a long time. If you can indulge balance along the way it will be a lot easier to enjoy the ride.
