Last Monday, my brain decided to give me a big eff you and a middle finger. I mean, I had decided to put it through an absolute ringer of a weekend, last week's excellent content didn't write itself. I sat all morning at my computer posting last week's Manic Monday post and trying to force myself to get any productive thing done.

Then it hit me.

Stop it.

Lie down.

Get some rest.

So, around noon, I closed my laptop, got a small bag of my favorite white cheddar popcorn from Smartfood, and I set up shop in front of the television to watch The Office (I am currently binging the show for the first time!)

Yes, I had work piling up, but I couldn't force this, at least not this time. I was tired AF. My brain was not in the mood, and I had no words left to write that morning.

But you want to know what I did that night?

I wrote 1200+ words on a freelance article, and I spruced up my article from last week on how to become a freelancer by adding around 600 words to the article. It wasn't as productive as my weekend of writing 8000 words, but it was as productive as I was going to get that day.

I think it's so important to give your brain a break, to give yourself a break. As long as your entire life doesn't become a break, that is.

Running a business is hard, but one of the cool things that I don't take for granted is the fact that I can abandon ship halfway through the day because my brain hurts. I know there are so many people who don't have that luxury.

Last week, on Manic Monday, I got a wonderful comment from a reader who has her own blog and the most amazing jewelry shop. The comment ended like this:

Also, make time to recharge too, you’re a hard worker and I want you to keep going strong.

I'd be lying if I said that didn't make me tear up a little. At the moment I was currently knee deep in a Netflix marathon, and very much feeling like recharging was what I should be doing. I was glad that it wasn't seen as a bad or negative thing. Recharging is a part of life.

All this to say, recharging and resting is a part of the process of business, of life, of everything.

I am not one of those people who believes in hustle 24/7. I've never been that way. In college I never did all-nighters, and while I occasionally pull one now, it's usually because I stayed up watching comedy specials or episodes of television.

Yes, it's great to live life with no regrets, but I am over this “I'll sleep when I'm dead,” mentality.

Live your life, take breaks, and put your heart and soul into what you do.

I think that's what we should be asking of business owners, and that's what I am asking of you.

The Manic Monday Conversation:

I decided to create an audio companion to Manic Monday. Here is the first conversation. It's completely different from the Manic Monday post above. So, please check it out!