Taking A Break Shouldn't Make You Feel Guilty
This week has been a quiet one for me.
I've worked a few hours a day, but for the most part, I've put my feet up and taken a well-deserved rest.
The older I get, the more convinced I am work is overvalued and rest undervalued.
'Hustle porn' has taken over. 'If you're not successful, you just need to work harder. Look at me! I work 16 hours a day and live my best life!'
Ok, this may be an exaggeration, but you get my point. The veneration of work has reached an almost cult-like stage. Anyone who falls below an arbitrary level of hard work is seen as weak or not willing to put in the hard yards.
If you want to be successful, you'll need to work. No one's disputing that. But there's more to life than work. It's one part of your life, not the whole.
Writing this on a Sunday, the day of rest, hammers this home. Many religions designate it as a day to take to yourself. To take it easy, recharge and prepare for the week ahead.
It can feel like you have to keep working at all costs in this day and age. Hustle is the religion and it must be practised every day.
This is no way to live. Flogging yourself day after day will only make you miserable in the long run. What's the point in working to create a life where you have more freedom, if you never have the time to enjoy it?
Work should set you free, not shackle you to your laptop. Give yourself permission to take time off, to go for a walk, to read a book.
No matter what the hustler's say, you've earnt it.