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My neighbor caught me raking leaves at 9pm and told me to try something that actually works
So I get home from a bad design week, brain totally fried from a client who wanted 14 rounds of logo changes, and I'm out in the yard raking leaves in the dark because I just needed to do something with my hands. My neighbor Dave comes over with his dog and asks what I'm doing. I tell him it's how I wind down, and he laughs and says "that's not winding down, that's just chores in the dark." He tells me he started doing jigsaw puzzles after work about a year ago at his kitchen table in Columbus, and he does the same puzzle 3 or 4 times before moving to a new one. He says the point isn't finishing it, it's that his hands are busy so his head can finally be quiet. Something about that hit me. I always thought my unwinding had to be productive, like the yard had to look better after. So I dug out an old 500 piece puzzle from the closet and gave it a shot on Tuesday. Two hours flew by and I didn't think about work once. Has anyone else found that the best way to relax is doing something with zero point to it?
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the_phoenix1d ago
Dave's onto something with the repeat thing. Doing the same puzzle a few times takes the pressure off, since you already know where the pieces go and your brain can just drift. Keep one out on a tray so you can grab 15 minutes here and there instead of treating it like a project. That fourteeen round client stuff doesn't stand a chance against a tray of puzzle pieces.
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