So as some of you might have noticed I haven’t been the most active blogger recently and in fact I haven’t been that active in anything to do with startups over that last few month and the reason is simple, I needed a break.
If you’ve worked in the startup scene for a while you’ve probably noticed that it’s a very crazy and chaotic place. It ends up taking over your life and everything you do is in some way associated with your startup, in my case all the people I was hanging out with were also working on startups, all my conversations were about startups, all my waking hours went into thinking about startups and I even dreamt startups. I didn’t really have any kind of life out side of startups, I didn’t even have any hobbies.
The startup life can be a lot of fun, the adrenaline is pumping you’re always just about to make it, you’re always working on an awesome feature, amazing deal and the next big thing. It’s actually very difficult to go back into a normal life after you’ve experienced this crazy lifestyle, but… and this is a big BUT, if you don’t take a break from the startup scene once in a while you’ll burn out.
So after leaving my last startup I decided to take a break from anything to do with startups. By doing that I actually realised how obsessed I was with startups and it took me a very long time to calm down to the point where I didn’t have to be constantly working. I found myself some hobbies, I bought a modified 4×4 and started going on excursions to the highlands and glaciers of Iceland, I re-joined the search and rescue team, I started hiking, meditating and playing video games. For the first time in years my head wasn’t constantly thinking about work and it was a great feeling and very therapeutic.
I’ve talked with a few people that I trust in the startup scene and it seems to me that there is a bit of a trend now towards taking a few months off between startups to recharge batteries and to focus on yourself and your health. In the long run it’s most definitely going to be worth it.
If you’re in between startups take some time off to reconnect with yourself and experience the world outside of the startup bubble.