You Are Not a Robot

And you are not what you do (for your business, work, or creative endeavors)

This post was originally published April 24, 2009.

When was the last time you took a break from your work?

I'm not talking about the break when you have to go to the bathroom, or when you're hungry or sleepy. I'm talking about choosing to go to the park, to the beach, to the bookstore, or anywhere else you wanted to go — back when you didn't think there was anything wrong with wanting to do those things.

When was the last time you let yourself be sick, tired, or in a funk without trying to work at the same time? If you worked in an office, they'd send you home... trying to milk some work out of you in such a state would simply be inhumane.

Guess what? Trying to milk some work out of yourself in such a state is still inhumane.

You Are Not Your Work or Business

Many of us, whether we’re employed or self-employed, often forget that, at the end of the day, there is a distinction between us and what we do. I tend to think it's worse with entrepreneurs with online businesses because:

Our Businesses Never Sleeps

Anyone, anywhere can walk into what counts as our "store" at any hour. Knowing this, we wonder what's happening at all times of our waking day. "Did we get a bunch of comments?" "Did that last post get a traffic spike?" "How much of our product have we sold?" There are times for these types of questions — but 1 AM when we're trying to sleep or when we're reading to our kids are not those times.

We're Bound to Email

The same technology that promised freedom is actually proving to be our undoing. Email can be done anytime, but somehow we've screwed it up such that it's being done all the time, but still not getting done. It becomes a task that we put off until later, but it still drains our focus because we know we have put it off. If we're smart, we do our creative thing before we check email, but then that leaves email to be done at the end of the day; if we're spinning in email circles, then we try to do whatever we do at hours we shouldn't. Both have the same result: we're working two shifts.

It's Just Us

We have no marketing department. We are our customer service agents. We are the designers, writers, and financial officers. While this gives us incredible perspective and agility, it has the serious downfall that there's only so much time in a day. Despite the fact that we can't do it all (everyday), we know that it has to get done someday. And rather than cut back and doing what counts, we expand and try to do everything.

We Work from Home

Our couches have been taken hostage by laptop-bearing legs. We wind up in our offices when we meant to go to the bathroom. The many, many benefits from working at home come at a cost when it becomes increasingly harder to separate our home from our office. And since home=work, and we're at home a lot, we're at work a lot.

We Love What We Do

The most pressing reason we associate ourselves entirely with our jobs and businesses is because we love what we do. We wake up in the morning to do our thing, and we'd probably do it for free if we could still put food on the table. We may not love every aspect of what we do — but we do those things because it lets us do the other things we love.

If we give up on doing the other things we love, unfortunately we've thrown the baby out with the bathwater. No business sleeps, because businesses aren't people. But businesses cannot operate without people.

You Are Your Most Important Asset, but You're Not a Robot

If you bought some equipment that very expressly said that it was only to be used for 8 hours before recharging and that using it for more than 8 hours would both damage it and void its warranty, you'd be irresponsible for using it for 12 hours before recharging it. Yet we do this to ourselves on a daily basis.

Of course, the problem is that what makes you able to do your creative thing is you. You are not a robot — you do not have a steady, measurable source of energy that is recharged by power and maintenance.

If you're sick, you don't have that energy. If you're tired, you don't have that energy. And, if you're burnt out, it's hard to be creative. Your creative energy and ability to produce is dependent on how well you take care of yourself physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally. Without you, there is no business or creativity.

Imagine this choice: You could either limp along for four days at a 50% capacity, or you could take the day off one day, and be at 75% capacity for the other three days. Which would you choose?

Maybe some math would help. Let's say that you could produce 4 units of work a day at 100% capacity; a unit could be 1,000 words, a webpage, a piece of code, or whatever makes sense for your craft. 50% capacity for four days would yield 8 units of work. If you choose the latter option, you'd have 9 units of work. So you're 1 unit ahead, which is nothing to get excited about.

That is if you were a robot or piece of equipment. But, if you were actually able to let yourself take that day off, you may be reconnected with yourself, your loved ones, and with the things you find worth doing. You may remember why you're doing what you're doing. So, whereas you'd only be 1 unit ahead on the short term, the more likely story is that, after you feel better, you'll realize that your 100% point was not your 100% point. This is because you're...

Lying in Your Own Filth (Without Knowing It)

When you creep and grind long enough, there's some emotional funk that builds up slowly and imperceptibly. It's below the level of your awareness, but it's having a huge impact on your ability to do the things you need to do.

To illustrate this point, I'll ask one question: What refreshes you?

If your answer only contains stuff that's related to your business or creative thing, you're lying in your own filth. (The key word there is "only.") If you can't think of an answer, you're lying in your own filth. If you haven't thought about it on one level or nother, you're lying in your filth.

Here's another question or two: When was the last time you rewarded yourself or did something fun that wasn't related to your business or creative thing?

Rewards? Fun? Blasphemy! That's time and money you can be spending on growing your business or creating something. You don't have time for such things. There's email to process. EMAIL!! (said like the redheaded kid on Talledega Nights.)

Work is not its own inherent reward, despite what the Protestant Ethic tells you. Being immersed in your creative processes may be inherently rewarding, but it can't be the sole thing that sustains you.

When you get away from your work and come back refreshed, you'll see that your filthy 100% point is actually closer to your real 50%. When you find yourself and recharge, you can reconnect with that energy that fires you up and lets you do awesome things with less effort.

Employers offer leave days (sick or otherwise) because they know that employees are more productive (holistically) if they use leave when they need to. They may also do it because they're humane that way, too. Do you give yourself leave days? If you don't think you need leave days, you're lying in your own filth.

You may not believe me that you're lying in your own productive filth. So be it. But before you write this off, get away from your work for a while and notice how you feel when you come back to it. If I'm wrong, feel free to write as much in the comments.

Make Time for Yourself

The time is already there — it's just how you've been using it. But to use it differently, you'll have to intend to use it differently; otherwise, habits will kick in, and the opportunity will pass. And yet another week of work will begin.

So, commit to doing something that refreshes you at some point this week, or weekend. If you don't know what that is, unplug your computer and smartphone for a morning or afternoon; I would say for a day or for the weekend, but I know for some people that may be a bridge too far.

Do something that engrosses you so (but that's not your creative thing) so that your mind isn't wandering and distracted by the silence.

And the next time you recognize that you're working when you're tired, sick, or burnt out, check out and take care of yourself.

You're working so that you can have the autonomy to do what you want; it's time to make that idea less theoretical and more a matter of practice. And only when you practice it will you see how valuable it is.

If you want your business, work, or creative endeavors to flourish, you have to flourish.

(Thanks to Naomi, Megan, and JessRS for being unwitting participants in this conversation.)