Give Your Brain a Break

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I’m right in the midst of a very busy work period. Starting early, finishing late, working on weekends. It’s been hectic, first with one huge project and now a ton of smaller things to juggle, all vying for priority. One thing that I’ve learned that has been super helpful is this: know when to pack it in for the day and start fresh tomorrow.

It’s tempting at the end of the day to try to add in just one more thing, especially when you’re almost finished, are in a time crunch or want to get a head start on the next day. But when your head is buzzing with fatigue and everything feels difficult and frustrating, that’s your cue to take a break. Your brain can only take so much in a day. Get some rest. I’m always amazed when I get started the next day, how things that seemed so difficult are suddenly much easier, sometimes laughably so. I can get more done and the quality is better than if I had just kept pushing on the night before. That’s what finally convinced me. Why struggle when there’s a better way?

Just the other day, I was doing my accounting and kept coming up short. I got more and more frustrated as I tried to figure out what the problem was. Finally I left it. The next morning, I found the problem within minutes.

That being said, sometimes you get into a certain “zone” when things are flowing really well. The difference is that you will usually not feel tired and things will come easy. When that happens, I like to keep going for as long as it lasts.

Good luck!