Press Pause

This one’s mostly for me.
But maybe it’s for you, too.

I struggle to slow down. Always have.
I move like something’s on fire — usually me.
And even when things are calm, I find a way to keep myself in motion.
Because in my head, if I’m not moving, I’m losing. And if I’m not pushing, I’m falling behind.

That mindset has built a lot.
But it’s also come at a cost.

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Busy ≠ Productive

Here’s something I’m trying to unlearn:
Movement doesn’t always equal momentum.
Sometimes, it’s just noise.

I’ve found myself obsessing over tasks with no real urgency. Rushing to tick boxes that didn’t need ticking — not right now, anyway.
Everything I do has a reason behind it… but that reason isn’t always good enough to justify the pace I’m forcing on it.

It’s like sprinting with your eyes closed. Sure, you’re moving — but are you actually moving in the right direction?

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Why I’m Writing This

At the end of 2023, I hit a wall.
I was doing everything — design, dev, client comms, ops, finances. You name it.
Four hours of sleep a night. No weekends. Just relentless output.
From the outside, it probably looked like I was killing it.

But I wasn’t. I was drowning.

That period taught me something brutal but necessary:

Relentless hustle without pause isn’t impressive — it’s a slow-motion collapse.

It forced me to step back. To admit I needed help.
And that’s when I started “firing myself” — handing off responsibility, building a real team, creating space.
It was the best decision I’ve made.

And yet, somehow, I still slip back into old habits.
Hence… this article.

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Observation Is a Power Move

One of the hardest but most valuable things I’ve learned:
You can’t see the flaws when you’re deep in the trenches.

When I force myself to slow down, I start spotting things I would’ve missed entirely.
Gaps in a process. Team members feeling stretched. A decision that needs a rethink.
But if I’m sprinting from one thing to the next, those cracks stay hidden — and start spreading.

It’s in the pause that the real insights surface.

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So… Take a Damn Break

Go walk. Breathe. Watch a movie. Eat a Kit-Kat. (Not sponsored — yet.)

And if you're like me, here’s your reminder:
You don’t always have to be at full tilt to be valuable.
Sometimes pressing pause is the most strategic move you can make.
Because when you come back, you come back sharper.

It worked when I burned out. It’ll work before I do it again.