Here’s something that makes me tired: when businesses seem to only go go go all the time and only care about their bottom line, their numbers, and the next big thing.

I’m convinced that business should care about the whole of the people it is impacting, both the business owner and clients. If your business is only about MORE MONEY, it and you are going to hit a wall and burn out. If you are not able to REST and RESET on a rhythmic, consistent basis, you will not last very long in business. 

(This is not to say that you shouldn’t work hard! You should!)

Here are a few of the routines that always help me take a deep breath and just be so that I can come back inspired and ready to create again.

1. Evenings off work.

 I take evenings COMPLETELY off work. No Instagram. No work emails. The most I will allow myself to do is jot down a brilliant idea in my Notes app, if said brilliant idea happens to invite itself into my mind. I have a whole “closing down work” routine that helps me so much with this—helps me close things up, disconnect my brain, and be able to be present in all the evening things.

2. Weekends off work. 

Same thing. My weekends are precious! I use them to clean my house, catch up with friends, do things other than screens, hang out with Marshall. There have been a couple seasons where I think I would have quit copywriting completely if I was not taking weekends off. My weeks were draining, and if I would not have been able to disconnect and think about other things, I probably would have given up in despair.

3. Doing things with my hands.

 Integrating tangible, other-part-of-my-brain work tasks both into my regular work days and ESPECIALLY into my weekends and evenings helps me so much when it comes to being creative ON a screen. Cooking supper, folding laundry, daily (ish) walks or jogs—they help me get out some of my physical energy and think about other things, or think about work things in a new way. (I almost always have good ideas when I’m running and have to squint against the sun to quickly write them in my notes. 😂)

4. Following industries that are totally different from mine.

 I’m not sure if “industries” is quite the right thing to call this. But I don’t follow very many businesses in general, and hardly any other copywriters. I like to follow actual friends, home décor people, writers, and people who post assortments of life, wellness, and whatever they feel like. This gives my brain more space to be creative and learn without copying or comparing myself to other copywriters.

 Okay, there are four of my favorite ways to rest! I hope you can be inspired or have a new idea for a way to integrate more relaxation and reset into your daily work, whether it’s creativity, copywriting, or anything else.