No, I really mean it. Stop whatever it is that you're doing, and plan a day that you can take for yourself. Yes there are deadlines, and yes, you need to make money, but there are few things as precious as perspective.

I decided to take a day off, as you can no doubt tell. I got up early, I biked through Manhattan, and treated myself to a fruit smoothie and some sunshine. Aside from the exercise, what this time gave me was a reminder that the confines of our work and our hobbies can be forgotten for a day. In the long scheme of things, a day of work lost won't bring the world crashing down around your ears.

On the the contrary, it can do everything to reinforce a mental foundation that has been slipping lately.

I'll be frank: I used to have a terrible work ethic. Awful. I was lazy and unmotivated, and ungrateful for a lot of free time and opportunities afforded to me. And it makes me laugh to think of how many projects I have going now and all of the work that I put into them. But because of that work, I've felt run down and exhausted, as if pursuing my dreams has left me winded and annoyed.

A continuous pattern of work, where free time is forced into your plans so that there can be some sort of perceived balance between work and play. Goofing off is now another chore to do, an errand to run as I idly whittle away my time before sleep gazing at a computer screen.

But an impromptu day off throws a wrench into the works. Suddenly, I have a blank day that's free to be painted on with anything I want. Writing, videogames, cleaning, biking, eating, working, anything at all can take up the next 24 hours. And I'm grateful I didn't waste the time away sleeping.

And if you let yourself, you'll start seeing more of the world that you pass by silently in the mornings on the way to work, and in the evenings as you're hopping off the subway. We've all had that moment where we leave our house and immediately start the walk to work, even if you're doing something completely different that day. And that path has lost its luster to habitual exposure.

So look up at the tops of the buildings, at the skyscrapers in the distance, and remember that the world is a lot bigger than the walk to work.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting on my bike and exploring some more. I suggest you do the same.