I logged off for the first time in years. Not just from work — from the pressure to always be doing.

The last time I truly took time for myself was back in 2022. Since then, it’s been nonstop work. So for the past 15 days, I finally took a break — and it felt good to slow down. Really good. But funny enough, even with no plans, my mind wouldn’t let me fully do… nothing.

My girlfriend had just started a new job, so we couldn’t travel or visit family. I stayed in São Paulo and tried to find calm in staying still.

In those first few days, I found myself drawn to something I’ve wanted to build for a while: this blog. I designed the frontend, set up routes for each page, organized posts by tags and series, added light and dark themes, learned a bit about SEO, optimized the site for Lighthouse scores — and most importantly, started writing.

I was excited — and proud — to finally make this blog real. And now that the foundation is in place, I can make updates and changes at a slower, more mindful pace.

After getting the foundation of the blog up and running, I felt a weird emptiness. I didn’t know what to do next. Study for another Databricks certification? Start Python from scratch again? Dive into a new tech topic?

Then came the moment that changed everything — my girlfriend looked at me, clearly annoyed, and said: “Why don’t you just enjoy your vacation? Play something. Read. Relax your mind.”

That hit me harder than I expected. I hadn’t even thought about using this time to truly rest. My brain was stuck in productivity mode — still trying to make every minute count for something.

So I gave myself permission to do… nothing.

I tried picking up Expedition 33 again — a game I’d really enjoyed for its beautiful soundtrack and story. But something felt off. The spark was gone. I ended up feeling even more empty after closing it, even though I’d been excited to finish it.

After some scrolling and searching, I stumbled back onto a title I’d been waiting for: Metaphor: ReFantazio. And wow — that one hooked me. I’m not the kind of person who critiques every mechanic or feature. I just feel the game. And this one? It got me. I’m still playing it and planning to finish it over the next few months.

I also found joy in something totally different — making homemade pizza and bread. And honestly? It turned out amazing. I made it a few times during the break, and it became one of my favorite small rituals.

I also used this time to reflect on my career — to think about what the next steps should look like, and what goals I want to keep in focus, not just professionally, but in my life and relationships too.

This vacation gave me the space to reset and realign. It helped me question whether I’m heading in the right direction, and gave me the clarity to decide what I want for the months (and year) ahead.

Now, I feel recharged and excited to get back to work — and to bring new ideas to life, just like I did with this blog.

Sometimes doing nothing is exactly what we need to move forward. Taking a break reminded me that rest isn’t the opposite of progress — it’s part of it. And now, I’m back — not just recharged, but realigned.