Today, I Confess: I Wasn't Going to Take a Break...
There are some funny (re: strange) things that go on behind the scenes of the content creators you follow...
Myself included.
Last week, a fellow podcaster left me a series of voice messages, lamenting how she woke up in the middle of the night with a nagging thought of something she needed to "fix" in her upcoming episode. One thing led to another, and that one adjustment ran her entire weekend off the rails.
"Remind me why we do this again?!" she sighed.
I found the whole thing quite funny in light of MY podcast journey that same weekend.
Here's my story of last week: My family was heading off for a week of beach vacation. I tried - but failed - to have an episode ready to release on 06.16 before we left.
In reality, there is absolutely nothing holding me responsible to release an episode every Monday. Most of you probably didn't even notice my absence.
The logical part of my brain knows that... but we all know how easily that can get overruled. 😉
Long story short, I went back and forth ALL WEEKEND between working on episode edits and slamming my laptop shut, determined to be on vacation.
It's a level of mania I am not proud of, but I live with this constant tension: is it better to take the break and deal with the noise of unfinished projects inside my mind? Or is it better to crank out the work so my brain will quiet, and I can put it behind me?
Well, my waffling finally came to an end late Sunday night. Everyone had gone to bed, and there I sat in my dark Airbnb kitchen, determined to crank out an episode for the following morning. Just before midnight, reason finally prevailed.
In a moment of blissful clarity, I realized finishing the episode was just going to lead to more work: sharing on social, tracking downloads, etc.
I packed my computer away and am proud to report it did not come back out until we returned home the following week. There was no episode on 06.16 and the world as we know it kept turning.
I know this sounds neurotic (and, perhaps, concerning), but I'm here to tell you: I know a lot of content creators, and most of us do this to ourselves in one way or another.
Furthermore, every piano teacher I know is guilty of working through a scheduled break every now and then. 🧐
It's easy to convince ourselves we don't need a break, or that our work "doesn't feel like work".
...but especially in light of my recent revelations about true play, my rational brain wants you to know how important it is to step away from your professional obligations. A clean break for a few days (or weeks?) provides us with perspective we can't get anywhere else.
I've written about the dangers of self-imposed deadlines before, but it bears repeating: part of being a human in our high-demand culture is keeping a watchful eye on which deadlines are essential, and which are not.
We're halfway through summer break here in my neck of the woods and it seems like a great time to remind you to mentally "check out" of your studio as you are able.
Read the book. Take the swim. Get your feet in the grass.
Put your devices away and wonder about something.
Sit. Breathe. Listen. Nap.
I am grateful my logical brain took over last week when it did. It allowed me to enjoy a wonderful trip with my family and gave me more time to prepare my fantastic conversation with Florence Phillips that released earlier this week.
SO, friends: Do me a favor and tell me what YOU are doing to "check out" of your work brain this week. Hit that reply button and let me know!
🥂 Cheers to rest for the sake of rest. Not because it makes us better workers, but because it makes us better humans. 🥂