Its OK to Take a Break!

Article - August 19, 2011

Sweet Hiatus

After every major project, I like to take some time to recharge the batteries. Even if I don’t feel like I necessarily need it, I force myself to take a 3-4 day hiatus from the shop. During that time, I read comics, watch movies, play video games, and run around the backyard making the dogs chase me. This is my life. But I find that after a forced break, I begin having trouble focusing on anything BUT the shop. I have a thirst that only sawdust and varnish can quench! But before immediately jumping into a furniture project, I usually do something to improve the shop space. After all, there’s ALWAYS SOMETHING that can be improved. This not only buys me more time to get those creative juices flowing, but it also helps me get more organized. And maybe I’m weird, but for me there is no greater hindrance to creativity than disorganization.

Hobby-Fading

Now I know most of you are hobbyists or semi-pros, and some of you may be suffering from what I call, “hobby-fading”. Your heart tells you that you need a break from woodworking, but your brain is afraid that a break is a sign that you’re losing your passion for the craft. Well frankly, that’s just nonsense and I’m here to tell you, its OK to take a break! Go enjoy some of your other interests: reading, gardening, golfing, or whatever else you find fun. The shop will be there when you come back, just as dirty as it was when you left it. And when you do come back, start out with a simple shop improvement project: a clamp rack, a sandpaper organizer, a push stick, or a rack to hold rolls of tape. Anything that doesn’t require much creativity will do the trick. These projects will help you get back in the game and get those creative neurons firing off. Once you feel that spark come back, dive into the next project. If you adopt this habit of taking breaks (even if you don’t feel like you need one), you are setting yourself up for a life-long love affair with this craft of woodworking.

I’m curious how you folks deal with this. Have you found breaks useful? I’m actually really curious to know what you all do in your off time.

Discussion

Roger Sullivan August 19, 2011 10:23 am

I get on the ‘putor and read wood working sites and blogs.
I’ve been in a blue funk for a few weeks now and having trouble getting motivated.
The weather doesn’t help either. It is 102 degrees outside right now (noon) and this is like the 44 th day of over 100 so far this year.
I’LL BE BACK!!!…..Sooner or later :)

Rog

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- todd August 19, 2011 5:55 pm
  
  Rog, do you live in texas too?
  
  Todd
  
  Reply
Jeff August 19, 2011 10:25 am

Holy Cow

It’s like you’ve been reading my mind. I honestly thought the fear of ‘passion loss’ was an idiosyncrasy I had all to myself.

I know when its time for me to take a break. When it starts to feel like work and minor hindrances start to make my blood pressure rise.

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Hope design August 19, 2011 10:34 am

My days away from the workshop (so called break) turns out into a diy holiday! That’s married life for you! Walking round the home depot store, fitting new shelving, re-oiling the garden furniture…………..

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David August 19, 2011 10:54 am

I take breaks that, to most people, will not sound like much of a break at all. I compete in triathlon. After finishing the kitchen cabinets for my own home, I dedicated 6 months worth of training to becoming a triathlete. I celebrated by competing in a 70.3 (half Ironman) race on my 30th birthday. It was the best five hours of competition I’ve ever experienced.

The benefit to my woodworking? Lifting sheet goods, throwing the No. 7 around and trips to the lumber yard all count as training and aren’t as difficult as they used to be. Also, I focus more on lung safety now, not wanting to bog down the endurance motor that is the respiratory system.

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Marilyn August 19, 2011 11:06 am

During the summer here (Seattle), you kinda get forced into a break. There’s really only about 6 to 8 weeks of spectacular weather and hiking/biking is almost a requirement; or fixing things outside in the garden/house that needs to be done.

I took a few weeks off after finishing the wall cabinet. First, I cleaned the shop and then didn’t go in for a few days. Then I took my time playing on the computer designing my tool cabinet. Some of my time off was also spent biking and just doing nothing.

I’m about to experience a forced break because my knee needs a bit of surgery. So sometimes breaks can be difficult when forced. My plan for that time is to look around for ideas from my next projects and catch up on reading my many woodworking books.

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Tx Sawdust August 19, 2011 11:39 am

I know where you’re coming from Roger. Today makes 80 days over 100 here but after about 6 weeks I said forget it and just got out to the garage and started working (and sweating) again. Like you were saying, Marc, I started making stuff for my shop and after a table saw sled and a router table I’m ready to get creative again. Here I come fire place mantel!

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Jim Rimmer August 19, 2011 11:43 am

I am forced into a break here on the Texas Gulf Coast. Since my shop has no A/C, it’s just too hot to work in there. I just try to stay in where it’s cool or go somewhere to do something where it’s cool. I am looking at various versions of a miter saw station and working on modifying the designs to suit my shop. Once it cools down again, I’ll be back to finish what I was already working on and maybe start the miter saw station.

BTW, did I mention that it’s really hot here.

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Matt B August 19, 2011 12:36 pm

As I’m finishing up the Greene and Greene Mirror Frame I know it’s time for a break, just a couple ebony plugs and the finish are left and it’s tough getting there. But, the timing is good as I’m packing up for school over the next week to enter into my yearly “break cycle” as my focus returns to criminal justice.

That’s not to say that I won’t be taking some wood working along with me. I’m looking at this as the perfect time to start my bench design process as I haven’t had time to get through Schwarz’s new bench book yet. I’ll also be taking along several other books and some of my friends (LN, Blue Spruce, Veritas), even if they’re being stored in a very un-inspiring container, they’ll still be there.

So, I agree that breaks are a good time to re-focus on our other interests and get the gears turning on design ideas…now go relax a little :-)

Matt

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Boj August 19, 2011 1:03 pm

I listen music, think about shop improvement and design new projects

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jersey mike August 19, 2011 2:50 pm

I’m still a novice with a very busy schedule. My breaks from the not quite a shop are forced upon me. I have a cutting board that I need to finish sanding. I’ve needed to finish sanding it for a month. I crave getting into my almost a shop all the time. I do understand the need a break mentality though. I loved photography. I stopped cooking at home so I can keep the darkroom set up in the kitchen. I never took a break. I pushed through the, “I’m not in the mood,” days and made some less than adequate prints. I was doing what I loved. Until I came to see it as a chore. Until I broke down the equipment to make some rice and beans. Until I went digital.

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Mike G August 19, 2011 3:07 pm

A break is good.

I’ve been on hiatus most of the summer, mainly because we have something going on every weekend, and most nights during the week.

I’m looking forward to next month. School starts, and things slow down, so shop time will be plentiful! :)

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MarkinPhx August 19, 2011 3:42 pm

Right now I’m on a break from my shop/garage. Yesterday when I pulled into the driveway after work the temp was 116 and the last thing I want to do is spend time in the garage.

Why is it that the older I get – the hotter it gets…..that sucks…lol

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Sean Rubino August 19, 2011 6:00 pm

When I have time off from the hobby I train for and race in triathlons with the goal of placing in my division. Last year I placed 3 of my 4 races. I’m starting to slow down now though.

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Brian August 19, 2011 6:04 pm

Huge Packer fan, so when it get to cold in the garage I watch football.

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Wirenut August 19, 2011 7:19 pm

As far as I’m concerned, taking a break is…. inevitable.

I suppose that at the end of the day, maybe it’s a good thing I can’t spend as much time in my basement shop as I would like to?…

Naaaawww!!

The only breaks I take are forced “breaks” imposed by the needs of “real life” (read household chores here). I tell ya, it’s not easy being single AND a clean freak. ;-)

The upside is that I cherish every hour I can spend in that beloved man-cave of mine. Right now, I’m not getting into any project that isn’t shop-related: tool calibration, essential jigs, storage cabinets and a gazillion other little things to get my shop to where I want it to be.

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Jim August 19, 2011 7:59 pm

Totally agree with you Marc. Anything one does without a break is bound to result in burnout. Besides woodworking, I love technology, and I’m an IT person for my day job… and that’s why most companies give you vacation time. Everyone needs time to do something else, even if that “something else” is nothing.

I just finished one project, and I’ll welcome some time to just clean up a little, do some other things outside of the shop, and then start (or in my case resume) the next project.

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Rob August 19, 2011 9:08 pm

I’ve had breaks from woodworking that lasted over 5 years! But every time I start up, I make something nicer and bigger.

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Brendan August 20, 2011 5:05 am

Mind if I borrow your crystal ball? Ive been pretty much out of the shop for these last 2 months… Kinda in one of those “am I the only one that appreciates my hobby” kinda funks. It didn’t help I have family members working against me. lol.

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Mike Collier August 20, 2011 5:35 am

Time and money constraints dictate how much time I can spend in the shop. I have a hard time making something just to make it. I usually wait until I need something or really want something then I build it. Sometime there is quite a bit of time between projects, other times I go from one project right to the next. Then a little time off is well needed. Then like others, I get back in and add to the shop, constantly trying to improve it and make it work better for me.

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The other other Brian August 20, 2011 3:35 pm

I MUST take a break between projects. Many reasons include the possibility of going broke if I were to constantly build things. My solution pace myself which goes to the topic of being in a rush.

Foreknowledge that if I don’t put some time between personal projects that they start to look similar as if I’m using the same design cues between all items. My solution read magazines watch woodworking shows (very few in the Houston area). Can’t afford an endless supplies of DVDs.

Generally I want to have the time between projects to think of my next must have and plan it out. I’ll pull out my drafting notebook and steel rule and draw out the project in detail. Measurements and so on. Don’t use sketchup (not for a lack of trying) but it’s the drawing process that lets me relax a bit.

Most important of all that it averages 105 degrees outside and that’s not going to change soon. My shop is half of a two car garage and there is very little relief out there. I’m work outside for a living and want to limit to the waterfall of sweat when not at work.

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Scottish Iain August 21, 2011 4:27 am

Last year I took on a book case project which turned into a bit of a nightmare. Too big for my garage workshop, fussy client (although I’m a hobbyist I “stupidly” took on a paying job) and just not enough time outside the day job, family etc. Just as it was finished we had a pretty severe winter here so sticking to cold metal while minus 10 outside wasn’t an option. The enforced “break” was just what I needed to get the enthusiasm back and come springtime this year I couldn’t wait to get going again.

Opening the workshop door was a good feeling and really fired up the imagination.

Take a break, it’ll still be there when your ready for it.

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Ray August 21, 2011 7:11 am

I’ve had a forced 1 year break while, patiently, waiting for my new garage. Hopefully, just a few more weeks and I’ll be able to get to setting up the shop!

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Thomas August 21, 2011 4:46 pm

I do the same, I clean the shop and try to fix something and make the shop work better for the next project.

Thomas

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Jason Young August 21, 2011 5:21 pm

Hi Marc,

Yeah, I’ve been away from the “fine” woodworking for a couple of months now and in the past I had those thoughts that maybe my interest in the craft was waning but after woodworking now for about 5 or six years I’ve definitely noticed a pattern in that I never spend much time in the shop in the summer. This summer was slightly different in that I spent a large part of the summer building a custom cedar fence around my back yard. Some would probably consider this woodworking but I see it more as rough carpentry. It doesn’t require as much concentration and attention to detail as does furniture building.

But now the fence is pretty much done and I’m getting the itch to get back into the shop. I’ve got iron to sharpen and a chest of drawers to finish up. Which reminds me, I glued up the panels in the spring and over the summer the panels warped quite a bit. Yikes! Anyway, I layedd them out on the bench, stickered them and sprayed water down on the concave side then weighed the whole stack down. It looks like this has worked to flatten them out. Crisis averted. I’m not sure whether to blame it on the red oak or the fact that I (stupidly) just stood the panels on end on the bare concrete basement slab.

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Stuey August 22, 2011 10:38 am

I don’t really take “breaks” as much as I rotate my focus. When I get a bit too frustrated with my attempts at woodworking or decide that there is a piece of equipment I NEED to grow but cannot afford, I do rest for a little bit and give another of my hobbies/obsessions my main attention.

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Rob Bois August 22, 2011 12:29 pm

I am generally bad at taking breaks (in fact woodworking in many ways is my break from life). But last week I did take a full week off, and didn’t think about the shop once (well except for maybe a half hour or so). Guess what the first thing I did when I got home? You got it, went down to the shop just to take it all in. So now I won’t have another break probably until Woodworking in America. Hey, it’s still a break if I’m away from my shop right?

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Godet August 22, 2011 7:26 pm

tonight’s break: sitting on the porch, enjoying a beer, watching my dog run around…pretty great

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Gordon August 24, 2011 2:09 pm

Woodworking is what I do for a break from working on the computer. But even so I do sometimes need to go do something different for a change. Getting on the tractor and mowing or moving some dirt around is a great way to recharge. You can look back and see that you have done something. And it usually takes a lot less brain power then woodworking. :-)

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Lane August 24, 2011 7:15 pm

I’m retired so I’m always on a break. When it gets too hot out in the shop I go fishing or work downstairs in the electronic shop. Fishing was my main hobby when I was working and now I have pretty much done it all with that sport. But the base for my enjoyment has always been being out there on the water and enjoying the peace and quiet and nature. The same thing goes for woodworking. Even though I am new to it I find it peaceful to be out there with a ballgame on the $5 radio and trying to figure out the combination of router bits to use to get the profile that I want. A good hobby will always draw you back, not for the doing of it but because of the internal rewards.

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Danny August 25, 2011 7:08 pm

If Algore is right I’ll be taking a very, very long break. Seems like its been hotter’n hale here in SC. The garage is “sticky”.

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D&N August 26, 2011 11:47 pm

we just started our business building custom cabinets and furniture. i can not remember the last time i had a day off. i am out in the shop at 8:00am til 2:30pm. then i grab a plate and eat in the car on my way to my day job (or night shift if you must know) and work till 1:30am 6 days a week. Even after doing this for about a year now (since my wife is now only employed in the shop) I still enjoy every minute. My forced time off is spent out on the boat for a couple of hour and then back into the shop. I do reserve Sunday for the only day to “play” in the shop making improvements or furniture for my family. the other six days are spent trying to grow the business and make enough to keep the wife home and work toward getting me home full time.

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mike August 28, 2011 4:35 pm

im taking my break now and its great doing nada all day . what comics are u reading now ?

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- thewoodwhisperer August 28, 2011 5:36 pm
  
  I actually have a bunch of series that I follow in issues. Lots of Marvel stuff, Walking Dead, Invincible, Chew, GI Joe, Locke & Key….just to name a few. I am about 2 issues behind on most so I have to catch up. But I decided to finally get into Fables recently. So I’m reading a bunch of those on my iPad.
  
  Reply
Robert August 29, 2011 11:25 am

I’ve taken most of the summer off myself. I’m over halfway through a shop cabinet that I’m particularly proud of but it’s been too hot to work on it. With the 100 degree days and ridiculous humidity we’ve experienced in NW Arkansas this summer, I’ve been doing most of my woodworking in my recliner with a remote control or laptop. Cooler days are coming and I can’t wait.

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Patrick August 30, 2011 5:37 am

August is a good time for a break. Just ask the European’s who tend to take the whole month off from everything.

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Paul September 1, 2011 3:58 pm

dude, you are the whisperer. Ive been putting off buying my new sawstop for this reason, and when is the new season of Walking dead coming?, anyone?

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- thewoodwhisperer September 1, 2011 5:10 pm
  
  October 16th! Boo ya! http://www.amctv.com/the-walki.....t-season-2
  
  Reply
Mike September 3, 2011 9:42 pm

I actually have the opposite problem. I have spent the last 6 years in the military, mostly overseas with all my tools in storage. The only way I have been able too keep up with the community has been through podcasts and magazine articles. It is all I can do to keep from going crazy not being able to build something. I don’t think my Woodworking addiction could ever be curbed. break or otherwise.

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Thomas Tieffenbacher/Doc Savage 45 September 6, 2011 8:45 am

Wondered where you’d gone too. My primary work is with people. Can’t do the same things as with wood. LOL Economics of the present keep me moving from my professional job that I do 3 days a week to maintenance on a 130 yr old house, and keeping my furniture goals out in front. As with Marc, I try to keep my balance, and only wish I were less chaotic. Have my huge pile of different “How too’s” that I read before falling asleep. “So much to do, so little time?” I do have a waterfall available. LOL

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Tim September 7, 2011 10:20 am

I took 6 weeks off over the summer to work on a few other interests as well as simply enjoy the summer. However, I’ve been in the shop almost every night over the last week and it feels great!

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John F September 17, 2011 4:44 am

Every summer follows the same pattern for me – any shop time seems to disappear in lieu of outdoor projects, activities with the kids, time on the Cape, etc. I threw a boat into the mix this year so I was even more pressed for time to “do everything”.

I just started digging back into the recent issues of ShopNotes and Wood magazines, and catching up here and some other online forums. It’s good to be thinking about shop time again, and I agree with Marc about starting off with a shop improvement project. I think much of the fall will be dedicated exactly to that – I need a partition wall put up to formally separate my shop area from the rest of the basement, and then some cabinets and a real bench.

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Its OK to Take a Break!

Sweet Hiatus

Hobby-Fading

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