Are you working all the time? Many of us dreamers do. Not only because we usually have ten deadlines and nine people expecting results yesterday. We do it because we love what we do. But that comes at a price.

Loving what we do …

Last Friday I looked back at the week and realized that I hadn’t gotten anything done. I had tried to push through, but it didn’t really work. I was having a hard time focussing and at the end of the day, my only result was that I had finally scrolled for long enough to reach the end of Facebook.

So what happened?

The answer is actually very simple. I hadn’t taken a day off in over two weeks. I was simply tired and exhausted. On top of that, I had pushed through a last minute pitch for a Disney commercial and the first reactions were positive enough to keep my mind spinning all week (“What would I do with all that money and fame?!”). All in all, the perfect cocktail for not getting anything done and being a lazy loser for a week.

Now we artists, we dreamers, we all get writer’s block. Accepting it for what it is and doing something else is often the best way to deal with it. But really? Is this really writer’s block? Being tired, lazy and distracted?

… can be a burden

Last week was a perfect throwback to how I used to live my life: Not enough sleep, no time off, and constant “big opportunities” that kept my head spinning about how this gig will finally get me somewhere. This is the simple result of loving what we do. We can’t stop thinking about it and we want to do it ALL THE TIME. 

I don’t live like that anymore and here is why: Working on a regular schedule makes me more productive, more creative and happier overall. Getting enough sleep and downtime lets my body adjust. I am less tired and more active.

Yes, we do what we love. We don’t think of it as work, but do we really not need a break?

How many days have we tried to focus, but just couldn’t, because we were too damn tired? How many days and weeks did we do what we love without actually loving it because of insane pressure and sleepless nights? And don’t we sometimes get better results by just stepping back for a bit, looking at it again the next day, making a few quick fixes and being done with it?

Here is what we can do about it

I take one or two days a week and try very hard to keep them free. I schedule time to do something different than what I do the rest of the week. I also tend to leave my phone and computer turned off that day.

Surrounded by committed, hard-working artists, and demanding clients, it can be hard to do this. The right communication is crucial here. Instead of talking about ourselves and our much needed time off, we can focus on outcomes and talk about solutions.

Of course I get emails and requests the evening before that day. “Can you do this tomorrow?” My old reliable and always available self would have responded within 5 minutes: “Absolutely”. Now I respond within three hours. “How urgent is this? I am not sure that I can do this tomorrow. Would it be okay for you if I send it to you on [insert any day that is not tomorrow]?” It took me more than ten years to build the courage to send out such a simple email. And you know what? Nine out of ten times the extra day is totally fine.

Additionally, being organized and having to schedule tasks in advance is what professionals do. As long as we treat our day off the same way we treat a decently paid all-day gig it will work just fine.

I work in one of the most competitive industries (music) in one of the most competitive cities of the world (Los Angeles) and I am doing just fine with scheduling time off. To be quite honest with you, I might even have an advantage over everyone else who is running around like chicken chasing the next big opportunity.

We are not lazy, we don’t take time off because we hate our job. We do it because it is the easiest and most effective way for us to be more focussed, productive and creative during the rest of the week.

I’d love to hear your experiences and thoughts on this. Please let me know in the comments!