Week Notes: Vol. 3 – № 12

Delaying gratification or neglecting self-care?

Recently, work had me feeling … bleh.

The fresh start of 2026 had faded. The momentum from the end of the previous year appeared to be stalling.

My early optimism began to meet reality. At some point every week I caught myself saying, “I just need to get through this week.”

Frustration morphed into fatigue, and suddenly, I needed a break.

I suspect I’m not the only one, based on an unexpectedly relevant and well-timed post by local leadership consultant Sarah Noll Wilson.

Blame it on winter. Blame it on the shift to daylight saving time.

Blame it on weeks of shouting into the void of a cold pipeline.

In addition to leading more people, business development has become a large part of my role this year. Sales is isolating work.

In two and a half months, I’d only used two days of PTO (paid time off). My company offers 25.

I used one immediately on January 2 to turn New Year’s Day into a four-day weekend so I could recover a bit from the holidays. I took another on a random Monday in mid February to stay at home with my sick toddler.

But as I mulled burning another, I had a convenient excuse for continuing to grind: I had time off coming up. I could hold out.

I’d already set aside two days to watch the opening round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, and I had a vacation with my wife scheduled for a week later.

I believe in mental health days. Yet it was easy to talk myself out of taking one. Plus, I wasn’t even certain just one day would help.

So I had to think hard: am I delaying gratification or just not taking care of myself?

There's a fine line between being stoic and being stubborn about your own wellbeing.

I talked to my therapist about this. After sitting with it for a while, we couldn’t find a clean answer.

Perhaps worst of all, stress and frustration turned into grumpiness and irritability at home. My wife was quick to call it out.

But I had no idea how to climb out of the funk.

Now, I’m feeling better. I never took that day off.

I don’t know what changed between then and now.

I wrote this on a sunny Friday afternoon, lying on my couch while watching the drama of post-season college basketball unfold.

I honestly thought this would be the week I’d break my weekly posting streak.

The stress is still there, but it feels manageable. I still have my vacation to look forward to.

The thing about work is it never goes away. Even when you’re buried in work, you don’t ever dig yourself out.

You’re always in that hole. More piles on. You just find a way to reorganize it and live with it.

If I could time travel to early March, I’d tell myself to take that day off. Nothing was on fire.

The airplane oxygen mask is always a handy metaphor in these situations. You can’t help anyone until you help yourself.

And like the airplane oxygen mask, air is still flowing even if you can’t see the bag inflate.

Even when you don’t think a day off will help, trust that it will.