the power of taking time off

Being young and self employed, it's really started to hit me lately how much work must be accomplished before I feel comfortable taking even a few days off. This isn't really a financial constraint, but more a factor of having no one to hand work off to, so responsibilities tend to hang around like those stray cats in my parking lot who poop on cars and sharpen their claws on convertible soft tops.  One of the highlights of when I was in school and working summers, was stopping work two weeks before school started and having the time to do whatever I wanted.  Time off wasn't about travelling to some exotic place, but it was the ability to appreciate your surroundings and let your mind explore and grow.

My friend sent me the TED lecture below by one of my favorite graphic designers, Stefan Sagmeister, about the importance of taking a sabbatical. I don't see taking an entire year off as a realistic possibility for me anytime soon, but certainly on a smaller scale it seems manageable. When your mind doesn't have to focus only on whatever is immediately in front of you, your creative abilities are expanded.  When you do return to work, the quality will improve and over time the sabbatical periods will actually increase profitability.