This is something I've done a handful of times actually. I have actually learned that the best thing for me to do once I start feeling the signs of burnout is to get away. Traveling, even if I don't go that far, breaks me free of my everyday routine and helps me shake off work stress a bit. A few months ago I was feeling a bit burnt out, so I decided to take a long weekend and stay in a rental in the woods a few hours away from where I live. It was an unplugged getaway - I stayed off my devices and spent as much time outdoors as I could. It completely refreshed me.
Years into building The Lad Collective, I had created a work routine — late-night campaign planning, endless emails, and data reviews bleeding into weekends. I hadn't lost motivation, but I had lost balance. That hour of the day and focused energy showed in how I made decisions. I promised myself to take a proper break — a week off-grid to reset mentally and physically. Within a few days, I could see my stress levels lowering, and my mind cleared. When I returned, I realized how much clarity that time off had restored. It also forced me to change something in our culture - encouraging our team to rest properly, not as an afterthought. Recovery and recharge became part of productivity. Your rest quality directly influences work quality. Taking the time to reset does not slow down progress; it keeps it up - a statement that we preach through our brand, too.
Ever notice how your creativity and even your search rankings can start to dip when you're running on fumes? I hit that point a couple years back after a marathon of client launches, so I packed up and spent a week in the Texas Hill Country with no screens and no schedule. That break wasn't just about rest—it gave me the headspace to reflect on our content strategy and reminded me that you can't optimize a website if you aren't optimizing your own energy. During that downtime I let my team run with our processes and leaned on our milestone guarantee—we keep working free if targets aren't hit in six months—so clients still felt cared for. When I got back, I felt renewed, had a handful of fresh ideas for blending human writers with AI, and could see the business from a higher altitude. Y'all, sometimes stepping away is the best way to come back stronger and help your clients rank higher, get found faster, and convert search traffic into growth.
A couple of years ago, I hit a point where I knew I was running on empty. Deadlines were constant, my creativity felt drained, and even small tasks started feeling overwhelming. That's when I decided to take a real break—not just a long weekend, but a full two weeks completely unplugged. I went to a quiet coastal town, left my laptop behind, and promised myself I wouldn't check emails. The first few days were uncomfortable. I didn't know what to do with the silence or the lack of urgency. But slowly, my mind began to unclench. I started reading for pleasure again, took long walks by the water, and let myself rest without guilt. It wasn't just physical recovery—it was mental clarity returning. I realized how much I'd been operating in "reaction mode" rather than thinking strategically or creatively. When I came back to work, I noticed an immediate shift. My focus was sharper, my patience longer, and my energy more balanced. I was able to make decisions thoughtfully instead of rushing through them. That break reminded me that rest isn't indulgent—it's essential for sustainable performance. Now, I make it a point to schedule downtime proactively, not just when I'm already burned out. It's the best investment I've made in both my productivity and my peace of mind.
After an intense hurricane recovery season, I reached a point where fatigue started affecting decisions—I was reacting instead of leading. I took a full week off and disconnected completely, leaving project communication in the hands of senior supervisors. That time away wasn't about travel or activity; it was about quiet—no emails, no schedules, just rest and reflection. By the third day, I could finally think clearly again instead of just managing crises. When I returned, I saw how well the team had operated in my absence, which changed how I delegated afterward. The break reminded me that leadership isn't sustained by endurance alone—it's renewed by perspective. Stepping away didn't weaken the business; it strengthened it by showing trust in the people holding it together.
I spent a few years ago traveling alone to the mountains with only notebooks and walking shoes since I left all electronic devices behind. The constant stress of work had drained my creative and emotional energy because I worked without rest. I had lost sight of the pure pleasure that comes from making art without any expectations. The week restored my energy levels. I spent the week without time constraints while I listened to my body and rediscovered my original purpose of showing women their dual nature of gentleness and power. The time away from work led to more confident and peaceful designs that expressed authentic truths. The time away from work did not make me slower but it reignited my inner drive.
Managing Director & Federal Prison Consultant at Zoukis Consulting Group
Answered 3 months ago
I reached a point where working with clients took a mental and emotional toll on me. I spent two weeks in Arizona—no speaking engagements, no consulting, just time with my family and a few days hiking in Sedona. I needed balance. Burnout in my business comes, not only in the form of tiredness - it compromises your vision and extinguishes your empathy, which for me is essential. Making that time helped me, in a few days, not only recover from a physical and emotional point of view, but it also gave me the spirit to recognize what I could delegate and what I had to stop dragging at home. I redesigned how I worked after that break and started giving me and my employees shorter "reset days" every quarter. I found it's not the duration of the break but the intention. I could concentrate again on short-term outcomes and make the correct choices, but I recognized that long-term success would depend on sustainability. I've been promoting clients and colleagues ever since to consider mental breaks not only good but also a requirement. In law and campaigning, our integrity matters—not just our knowledge but also our minds' clarity, and that comes after an opportunity to recover from the work burden.
The constant planning, the content reviews, the team coordination made my brain feel constantly overstimulated. I was still doing well, but I could tell I wasn't as emotionally present or as creative as usual. It's when I decided to take a real break—a full week. I spent my week by the beach. Long walks on the shore, reading, letting my thoughts flow without being attached to any structure or schedule. I didn't expect that simplicity to help me hit the reset button in the way I really did. Without screens or works calls and meetings, I was able to think clearly about what genuinely works in engaging people and connecting with them on an emotional level in our campaigns. When I went back, I completely restructured the way we did creative reviews and eliminated extra revisions, which cut our turnaround by a quarter. Taking a break taught me that burnout isn't as simple a disease as being cured by pushing harder. It's instead solved by giving yourself enough space to think and feel again. I now take one quiet day every quarter to make sure my creativity and brains are protected.
I recently took an impromptu trip to the mountains to force myself to recharge from working too much on my startup. I left my laptop so that I couldn't work remotely or brainstorm and I blocked email and social media on my iPhone. The next 3 days were dedicated to enjoying some of the best hiking I've ever experienced. The fresh mountain air was rejuvenating. I felt completely refreshed when I came home and noticed that my creative energy had returned.