We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is to just get away from it all.

Having just returned from travels through Eastern Europe, I had a chance to reflect on our last few months of work. Time on the plane or train forces you to just sit still, observe, and process. To slow down and think about what’s going well and what can be improved. And to re-connect with all those ideas floating around in your head. A true vacation, not one where you’re running from one sight to the next, lets you to simply experience and enjoy all the novelty and peculiar details of your surroundings.

So instead of being burnt out upon my return, I came back with a notebook full of ideas and the enthusiasm to see them through.

Working long hours isn’t hip. Set aside free time, go somewhere new, and let your mind relax, process, and create.