“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
— Anne Lamott, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope
I used to think pushing through was the only way. Dead tired? Keep going. Brain fried? Drink more coffee. That just made me more miserable, not more productive. Then I came across this quote from Anne Lamott and literally laughed out loud. Including me? Yeah, I guess so.
Last year I was working way too much. Like, answering emails at 11pm, skipping lunch, the whole sad routine. One afternoon I hit a wall. Couldn’t think, couldn’t type, just sat there staring at my screen. Normally I’d feel guilty and force myself to “push through.” But I remembered this line. So I closed my laptop, went outside, and sat on my back steps for ten minutes. Didn’t check my phone. Didn’t plan anything. Just sat and watched a squirrel run around. Felt stupid, honestly. But when I went back inside, my head was clearer. Not perfect, but better.
So now I do this all the time. Stuck on something? Walk away for five minutes. Feeling angry? Shut up and make tea. We treat ourselves like machines, but machines need to cool down too. You don’t earn a medal for burning out. You just get to be a tired mess who still can’t think straight. So unplug. Take the stupid ten minutes. Everything will still be there when you get back, and you’ll actually handle it better.