Embrace the seasons

I've been thinking about seasons lately. It might be a result of a recent Cal Newport episode (great podcast by the way), or just the fact that we're shifting from Winter into Spring here in the northern hemisphere.

Life can't just be the same thing, day after day.

We need variety, we need change, we need downs to enjoy the ups.

I've taken an unusually long pause from writing, mainly because of the extreme burst of energy I've put into some things over the last few weeks. And yes, they're related to AI tools, and yes I'll write about them at some point.

But this seasonality of life is important to recognize, to embrace, to appreciate. If we go through time pushing against every edge of energy, making every part of our being related to efficiency and labor—well we're just asking for trouble and burnout.

And so I'm taking a breath, taking a moment to look up, taking time to reset.

And I love it.

I need to listen to my own medicine. The advice I give to others—namely to take time to make sure they're healthy and not burned out—that's something I need to take to heart for myself.

For the last four Saturdays I've turned off my phone. That's basically an unheard of act in my adult life. I disconnected. Somewhat. See, I still have an Apple Watch and iPad at my beck and call, and I probably checked my watch for unread messages about a thousand times during that time block. But it was a start.

I wanted to find a way to have a disconnect from the deep thinking, hard learning, and frankly incredibly engaging, type of work I've been doing. It was necessary to take a break, to allow a reset. And now, even though we're at the start of the week, I find myself looking forward to that next Saturday where I'll turn off my phone and put it into a closet.

And that's just part of all this.

We're in 2026. Those of in tech (and many outside of it) are seeing massive changes. We're using AI, we're not using it. We're cursing its approach, and frustrated at its failings. But it's here. And it's threatening to overtake everything.

The only way I can think to keep myself from becoming fully engulfed is by putting in a break circuit, some sort of mechanism to pause.

And this is important for me. I have three computers where I'm testing various tools at all times, I have LLMs spinning all day on various ideas. I've connected my phone to one of the computers where I can have it churn away.

This is all great, and I'm excited to see what I can learn—and more importantly what I can distill to get back to deep work and focus on things that matter—but it's equally as important to have a forcing function that requires pause, requires taking a step back.

I might at some point go zero electronics on Saturday like my friend. But for now switching to the Apple Watch and iPad is a compromise, and I like it. You can't exactly vibe design with an LLM from a one inch screen.

And so, if you're like me, wondering where all this is going, and whether you'll get left behind, take a deep breath. Reach out to others, see what your colleagues are doing, but also give yourself time to sleep, to rest, to take a break.

All that matters.

Also, I just noticed last week (while running with a friend in the woods) that the wildflowers are starting to bloom in north Idaho. I'm glad I didn't miss that. It's my favorite time of year, where the valleys and ridges come alive with life. Nothing on my computer can ever surpass the amazement of seeing the brilliant colors of nature (also the allergies, gah).

So right now I'm in a season of pushing, of trying, of learning, of growing. I'm dusting off old things I thought I'd thrown away forever (starting to push code for the projects I'm on, future apologies to my developer colleagues), I'm finding myself like a student, eager to absorb and see how all this stuff can impact the work I do, the things I enjoy building.

What a time to be alive. Also, what a time to step back, to enjoy the things that really matter: family, life, friendships, helping others.