Taking a break is as important as putting the hours in.

I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to so-called “hustle porn”.?

Back in the early days of running Social Chain, I thought it was very smart to brag and show off about the amount of hours I was spending in the office and the number of late-night sessions I was pulling.

The reason I’ve said “in the office” - and not “working” is because a lot of the time this was just for show and actually my productivity levels were very very low. Either I’d be playing on the PlayStation on Fifa 14 or watching YouTube videos rather than putting in a productive amount of work.?

Yes, I worked incredibly hard for the most part, but by trying to prove that to everyone else, I was setting myself on the road to burnout. In the first few years I never really took a break, I remember getting to bank holidays and thinking it’ll be a good day to be in the office to show others how hard I work.

This attitude was very naive and it led to me building a really difficult relationship with work.

My presence in the office became an over-compensation for the unproductive hours I was experiencing due to burnout. That lack of purposeful presence and real productivity then fed into this idea that I needed to spend even longer there, which created this vicious cycle of anxiety, doubt and stress.

Those feelings then drove me to alcohol, and as my relationship with drink got worse, I genuinely believed that Social Chain and work was the problem that was leading me to drink more.?

All because I had built this toxic relationship with spending my weekends and evenings in the office.

Had I just made time for myself, gone home in the evening and spent my weekends resting and doing things I enjoyed, I’d have been able to provide much more value when I was in the office.

I compare that mindset to the one I have now. The one that enabled me to have the loveliest bank holiday weekend filled with time spent working on myself, reading a new book and even running my first 10km in over a year. As well as spending time with friends and loved ones.

As a result, the mindset I had walking into the office on Tuesday morning was totally different. It meant I actually felt fresh, mentally relaxed and recharged enough to be genuinely productive and creative.

For example - writing this newsletter. This has been something I’ve been putting off for the last few weeks given that I never see it as a priority, but it is and should be.

I enjoy sharing tips and things which other people can use to help themselves.

So right now, my biggest tip is: relax and recharge - hustle porn isn’t healthy and never will be.

Life is not about restricting and punishing yourself. It’s about balance, and I am a huge advocate for the peace that comes with that. So do what you want, because no one can do it all, all the time, and if they are telling you that they can - they’re lying.