Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you wish there were more hours in the day so that you could get all of your work done? What about working 10, 11, or even 12-hour days just to check off stuff on your to-do list? When your brain is moving at 100 mph, do you ever take the time to consider whether or not you’re just spinning your wheels?
Putting in extra time and work isn’t inherently a bad thing – there are many occasions when it’s necessary to push that little bit extra, and that’s completely fine. Pushing yourself to your limits can produce incredible results, and is often something to be proud of. But when working all of the daylight hours away becomes a habit, it may be time to stop and evaluate a few things.
Working in the realm of creative is very demanding, and if I’m not awake, alert, and focused, my designs can suffer. It’s no different working in customer service or sales. I can recall several occasions, mostly in school, where I would be working late into the night and creating designs that needed to be revised, or completely scrapped. I learned that at some point, you just have to call it a night, and come back to it the next day – revitalized and refreshed.
For better or for worse, we function as part of a society that is always working hard. We are capable of achieving incredible things and overcoming daunting obstacles through sheer force of will. In my experience, striking the right balance between work and rest seems to be the key to success, and to a happier, healthier life and business.