Working on the weekend as an indie maker! How do you disconnect?

I was in exactly your position: at work, I'm thinking about work, at home, I'm thinking about work (programming).

A game-changer for me was jiu-jitsu, the martial art. It's fantastic for unplugging since you physically can't stay plugged in on the mat. You need to pay attention to your coach, to what your opponent does. A single one-hour session is enough to unplug from a busy day completely. 2 times per week is enough to have a healthy, flexible mindset that switches from work to life more easily.

If martial arts is not your cup of tea, try doing some other sports. I would recommend sports where you deal with other people – either as a team or as a competition, face-to-face. Gym did not do it for me.

I see taking time or myself as "sharpening my axe". If I "go go go" for too long, I'll burn out. Recovering from burn out is way more difficult for me than preventing it. I have to really pay attention to my body for the signals that I need to take a break. Right now, my self-care routine relies heavily on: working out every day, eating well, sleeping well, getting outside, connecting with others socially, meditating, journaling, and affirmations. That's what works for me.

I take Shabbat every week, from sunset Friday until sunset Saturday. November will be the 3rd year of doing this. No work, whatsoever.

I'm not Jewish and neither are many others who embrace the Sabbath. It's a wonderful way to reconnect with yourself, with family, and with God.

I have written a short but not well structured post about this.
TLDR; getting offline is equally important as focusing on things.

• stoicism is nice
• meditation & martial arts are quite helpful

https://blog.lsgrep.com/complexity/productivity/2022/07/24/Get-Offline.html

Compartmentalise, scheduling & discipline (even in regard to your down time). What that means is that you break down your week and days and time in each day and allocate it for "work" or "other", then commit to it.

In very simple terms, i work Mon-Sat (with some flexibility on sat afternoons). I work on Sunday mornings if need to catch up on something or i have a new project, but Sunday afternoons is "other" and this is non-negotiable.

Mon-Sat. Each working day is split into 3 blocks (mine are 3 hours). Example:
7-10 Main project
10-11 Breakfast, reading, exercise
11-14 Main Project
14-15 Lunch, reading, exercise
16-18 Secondary project or other
18 BEER.

Now, I'm no scheduling Nazi, its not like i always hit these targets exactly, but just by trying to, i manage to split my day up, have some balance, and get some shit done.

I have tried every routine going, with meditation, journaling and all sorts of other bullshit we are told we should be doing and i have found the above to be the most effective (and balanced) by far.

Mileage may differ for the individual but the point is, you have to figure out what works for you, but if you don't schedule and commit, you will likely be blown by any passing wind and of course - burn yourself out.

If you plan your ideal week and what you want to achieve in it then after that 'do no more'. And if you finish before the time allocated then you have even more free time. Don't keep adding things to your to-do list because there is always more to do. Accept what you can do in a reasonable amount of time each week and just learn to be happy with that.

Have time slots in your calendar for downtime and treat those just as importantly as work time. In that time schedule a call with a friend or family member or start a hobby that excites you so much you'd never miss it.

Love that topic! I burned out a few times during my last 3-year spell with a project and really struggled for a long time to be able to take the time off. Although physical activity certainly helps (I boxed 3 times a week) it just created this window of feel-good hormones and energy but didn't bring sustainable calm energy to the business the next day. I was still a little anxious etc. What was a game-changer for me was a set-in-place morning routine which happened every day and didn't involve any electronics or communication of any form. I tested many sequences but what worked and is still working for me is:

1. Setting the alarm and leaving my phone in the other room with the internet out
2. Waking up straight with the alarm clock without any snooze button
3. Put on some clothes and go run a bit (I started with walking and the distance is totally not important. Just made sure I spend at least 10-15 minutes outside.
4. During the outside activity I breathe deeply and calmly. Keep the sight up towards the sky as sunlight sends the brain receptors the message that you are awake and ready to roll.
5. Come home and read a book for just as long as you like (for me usually 15-30 minutes)
6. Get a shower that finishes with a 2-5 minute cold shower with deep and relaxed breathing. (sends the message to the brain that you keep calm even when shit hits the fan)
7. Get dressed like you are going to the regular office job and get started.

My main rule is that I am not stopping on my "every day" thoughts before I am dressed. So kind of like you are a regular guy with 0 problems or things to do and then putting on the Batman suit. :)

I hope this helps or gives at least some new ideas.

I use the focus modes on my phone religiously. I used to always be on 24/7, but then I realized that I was letting my life slip past me. I don't want to die experiencing nothing but my company. The second 7pm rolls around, I switch to "no more work" focus mode, and it turns off / hides Slack, Spark, Monday, Google Docs, etc.

To be honest, I live and breathe my startup ERA - The New Era Of Note-Taking.

But I also need to make breaks, to get new inspirations and new capacities to work.
Mostly I just turn off my phone, close my MacBook and go for a walk - to get my head clear. That is always the start for getting some rest. Later I meet some friends or have some outdoor activities.

Sometimes I need to force myself to make breaks, but it's always worth it.

When you take a break or when doing an activity unrelated to a project of yours DO NOT THINK ABOUT YOUR PROJECT.

Everyone's brain needs a chance to decompress a bit. Here are some great times to give your brain a break:

1. Walking. Either from point a to b, or just a walk in the park.
2. Social gatherings. Unless the gathering is about your project.
3. Meals with others.
4. Hanging out with family and friends.

Think about anything else, unrelated to your project.

Commit yourself to the current activity.

Catch yourself as you start to think about one of your projects.

The best part? You'll likely have better ideas the next time you start thinking about anything related to your project.

Here's a video call room to take a break and chat with other IHers and builders

https://vibehut.io/rooms/6304c25f8ac27200164bd65f

Honestly, I still don't know how to take a break on the weekends either.
I think a lot of people have this problem, but I try to force myself to do it sometimes.
I try as often as possible to go for a walk in the woods on bicycles, I really like it.
Sometimes going to the gym really loosens me up, it gives me a chance to concentrate on myself and how I'm feeling.
Otherwise, I just understand that I cannot avoid burnout.
I went through this many times, but still it happens that I stumble on the same mistakes, but it's normal)

I'm not sure about taking breaks but when I burn out, I try to learn or explore something new that is interesting to me. That way I make the most out of my burnout time. 😀