I was heading to bed last night and had a realization about WHY I'm so tired, mentally, all the time.
The projects that I am working on are mentally taxing and to make it worse, the productivity hit from task switching is HUGE. In other words, once I get into the flow I like to stay in it for as long as possible.
In the before time I would take a brain break by making myself a coffee, listen to a song, etc. In 2020, with two small children in the house, no childcare, etc. my breaks have been turning into breaks for my partner.
So instead of a bit of human conversation and mental release, I get the responsibility of a 4yo and baby while my partner gets a break.
This wasn't a big deal at all until this project. The projects that I have been working on over the last few months have been pretty mentally simple, things that I would use as filler projects when I was on site in the hotel.
I don't have a real solution, I will feel guilty if I take a "break" in the studio and I know that my partner is running low on mental energy, but at the same time I'm the only breadwinner and if I start slacking for this client the stress of marketing/sales/business development will be much harder.
My test today will be 5 minute mindfulness breaks in the studio followed by my typical breaks with the family. Those short mindfulness stints should help me clear the brain and prepare for my "break" of playing with the 4yo or dealing with a whining baby.
NL
