It’s super-important.
Seriously, though, I’ve spent the last five weeks with my dominant arm in a giant cast. (Although after week two, I regained the use of my elbow and some fingers and by week three was able to use an extra couple of fingers on my right hand while typing, which has helped. My drawings, however, still look like they were done by a five-year-old, and I sign credit card receipts with a squiggle and/or lipstick kisses.) Meanwhile, the work has by no means slowed down, even though my working speed has, and it’s still challenging to do simple things like make a sandwich for lunch or empty the garbage.
Accordingly, I’ve been working rather long hours and have been becoming intensely stressed out. (Throw in the fact that I’ve quit smoking in support of Bone Healing Power and the fact that I’m sometimes still in a good deal of pain–breaking your bones stinks!) Luckily, I have the greatest clients and friends in the world who help me out and understand when things take a little longer than they ought, or I’d have gone entirely insane by now.
So, in the interests of preserving that aforementioned sanity, I’m running away to a secret undisclosed island location this weekend, where I’m hoping I won’t be able to get cell-phone service, and I won’t have any way of leaving until a nice fisherman comes to get me. My laptop, shockingly enough, is staying home (it’s very rarely far from me) and I’m excited by the prospect of no electricity, no emails, and no possible way for me to try to get any work done. I’ve noticed that as I get busier, it’s harder for me to actually take a full day off, in spite of how important it is for my mental well-being.
If you border on the edge of workaholicism, I recommend getting tough with yourself and forcing yourself into isolation. So long as you can return refreshed, and not dreading a massive pile of new emails, it’ll make you so much more productive in the long run. And so on that note: ciao, amigos!