When I’m in the middle of a book, I always feel guilty when I take a night off from writing. Rationally, I understand that the time off helps recharge my energy levels, keeps me from getting burned out, and maintains my health, but emotionally, I feel like I’m slacking. I take pride in my work ethic. Whether it be with writing, education, or sales, I have always been a dedicated person who strives to do the best job I can possibly do. When writing a book, I am the only person who decides my weekly page goals, my deadlines, and my time off, and I become so absorbed in the project that I want to work on it every single day. Most weeks, I do only take one night off, and then, the next day I feel like I’ve let the book and my readers down.
I truly am my own worst critic and my own worst enemy. I guess if the end result is a good series of books, then it’s worth it, but the path to get there is a tough climb.
Big Owl's Tree 
Wow, that one resonated. I was up to six nights a week in the studio in the spring and early summer. That means I was getting about 5 hours sleep a night and trying to work a day job and be a dad when I got home. Its easy to hold oneself to a high standard, but often harder to treat oneself as well as one might treat an employee. Stepping back is good. Slacking off, -on occasion, is good too. Sometimes you have to let off steam to clear your vision.