The Reset Button: Why Family Time Makes Me a Better Founder

Yesterday, I did no work. Zero emails. Zero Slack. Zero thinking about roadmaps or revenue.

Instead, I took my wife and son Mylo to London for the day. And honestly, it was exactly what I needed.

Family First, Always

I have a simple hierarchy that guides everything I do. My wife comes first. My son comes second. Everything else - the businesses, the projects, the endless to-do lists - falls somewhere after that.

This is not a sacrifice. This is the foundation.

When your family is happy and looked after, you have the mental space to build. When things are good at home, you can take risks at work. When you have spent quality time with the people who matter most, you return to your desk with clarity.

Yesterday reminded me of that.

A Day in London

We caught the train into London. We had croissants for breakfast while watching the countryside roll past. Simple pleasures.

First stop was Hamleys. Mylo had never been before - he is used to Smyths Toy Store back home, but Hamleys in London is something else entirely. We spent two or three hours going up and down every floor. No rushing. No agenda. Just following a seven-year-old's curiosity through seven floors of toys.

Then pizza in a quiet side street off Regent Street. Casual. Unhurried.

We walked to Buckingham Palace afterwards. Showed Mylo where the King lives. Then on to Hyde Park for Winter Wonderland.

The rides. The lights. The atmosphere. And - I have to say this - the best churros I have ever had. I am Spanish. I have eaten a lot of churros in my life. These were something special.

We stopped for a drink in one of the little ski bars, watched a circus show, and finished on the big wheel - apparently the largest mobile ferris wheel in the world. Views across London were amazing.

Then the train home.

The Balance That Actually Works

There is a version of founder life that says you should grind constantly. Always on. Always building. Sleep when you are dead.

I do not subscribe to that.

I have found that my best work comes after I have stepped away. The ideas that move the needle usually arrive when I am not forcing them. The clarity to make good decisions comes from rest, not from more hours at the desk.

Yesterday was not time away from building. It was part of building. The reset that makes everything else possible.

Today I am rested and ready to get back to work. Focused. Clear. Ready to go.

Because I took yesterday off.