I just had a good friend of mine visit me here in Prescott Valley, Arizona for a few days. We hiked, ate out, talked, did some sightseeing, played video games and watched the first episode of the final season of Game of Thrones.
I did not work. I did not think about work. I did not blog or think about blogging. It was great!
Taking breaks is important. This includes daily small breaks, weekend breaks and extended breaks (vacations).
Daily Breaks
One of the things I noticed early on while building websites was how often the answer to something I just couldn’t figure out would come to me when I would get up from my desk and walk around for a bit. I’ve talked to other programmers who have also experienced this phenomenon.
Quite often solutions to problems come to me in the shower or in bed when I’m not even thinking about it. Something apparently gets worked out in my subconscious.
There seems to come a point where working on a problem is counterproductive, so when you’re completely frustrated and have exhausted your options…get away from your computer. Take out the trash or get a snack or take a walk or anything that will take your mind off the problem at hand.
You might need to wait until the next day (this just happened to me), but look at the problem afresh when you can.
Weekend Breaks
Don’t work on the weekends. Don’t do it.
Seriously, just don’t do it.
Don’t.
That is all.
Vacation Breaks
Take a vacation. Just do it.
Seriously, make sure you take a vacation even if it’s a staycation.
Do it.
That is all.
Cheers!
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