I took a trip to Milwaukee this weekend and stayed by Lake Michigan.
I didn’t check my e-mail, I didn’t check Slack, and for the first time in 240 days I didn’t think about what to write for the Daily Spark (I’d pre-written / pre-recorded everything in advance).
I went out of my way to suspend many of my typical activities — in other words, I took my first real break in awhile.
Here’s what I did instead: I watched the sunrise and sunset at the beach and wandered around the Historic Third Ward.
It was a delightfully agenda-less trip.
Here are my observations following the trip:
The world didn’t end: none of my projects failed during my absence.
The show went on: my team did amazing work.
I feel more refreshed than I have in the last 5 years.
I fell in love with Milwaukee.
I’m more motivated than ever to get after my projects — at work and for my personal development.
Moral of the story?
Take a break. A real break — one where you step aside physically (wherever possible) and mentally.
Your future self, your team, and your organization all stand to benefit.
