There’s no medal for mayonnaise on your keyboard

Years ago, when I was much younger in my career and in an office 5 days a week, I always worked through lunch and thought it was a bit of a badge of honor ("see how committed I am?").

I earned no medals for this.

No one noticed and no one cared.

And, it was messy - how many times did I have to wipe salad dressing or mayonnaise off my keyboard?

I got better at taking breaks for lunch over time, and my time working at Facebook made that much easier. The food was plentiful, free, delicious, and the culture encouraged employees to break bread together, to connect and build relationships.

But Covid was the real kicker. Working from home, with my family all sheltering in place, we stopped midday, every day, and took a break. My boys and I would go outside and shoot hoops for 15 mins, and then would sit down for a family lunch before we all went "back to it". As hard as those months were, I look back fondly on those lunch breaks as a well-needed mental and physical break that allowed us to refocus for the rest of the day and carried us as a family through tough times.

Since then, I've never gone back to an office. I was a full-time remote employee and now self-employed. I’ve essentially been working in the same corner of my bedroom (with views of our back yard) for over 4 years now. But I always stop for lunch. If there was no one to give me a medal in an office all those years ago, my wife, my kids, and my dog are certainly not going to give me one today.

For years, I’ve talked about RESILIENCE, honing our ability to bounce back after setbacks, thinking about the marathon vs. the sprint.

But we can’t be RESILIENT without periods of RECOVERY.

✅ Every day.

In my training for the 29029 Everesting Challenge, there are periods of rest built into the plan, not just rest days, but periods of rest and recovery DURING a workout. RECOVERY builds RESILIENCE and ENDURANCE.

🥪 So take the lunch break.

🏃‍♂️ Your body needs it.

🧠 Your brain needs it.

😃 Your spirit needs it.

And don’t ever forget there are no medals for dripping mayonnaise on your keyboard.