Rug people are a passionate lot. We care deeply about clients, co-workers, producers, our communities, and the rugs we create and hopefully sell one day. Passion is the fuel that propels us forward, but like the hours in a day, it is not endless. There’s a tipping point when working harder and longer becomes less effective. When working transforms into an endless loop, toxicity sets in. In addition to negatively impacting our quality of life, the caliber of work degrades. Mistakes are made, resulting in, you guessed it, more work!
The end of business hours no longer heralds a clear respite from the hustle. Rare is the day that concludes with an empty email inbox. After dinner you open your phone, just to catch up, and another hour, or three slip by unnoticed. It's unusual to get an after-hours phone call, however texts, WhatsApp, Slack, and the never-ending tsunami of email are another matter. In the era of digital connectivity, burnout is the monster that comes for us all.
As the social media manager of Kush Rugs, I spend quite a bit of time swimming in the digital ocean. It’s all too easy to open Instagram and get sucked into a vortex of photos and video. Sometimes it feels like an endless video game that always requires one more quarter, and then another. I enjoy it, but it can easily take over not only the workday, but also personal time. How quickly the hours glide by when all I intended to do was pull together a few posts. I’ve learned to be strategic and place time limits on digital work.
Time limits help, but how can we give ourselves permission to fully disengage from work and restore our personal battery? Rug Insider sought to answer this query by engaging high performing industry professionals. Erika Kurtz of New Moon Rugs recharges her fierce work ethic by taking family trips in areas with limited digital communication.
“When you run a business, it can be hard to not always be on and connected.“ ERIKA KURTZ
“When you run a business, it can be hard to not always be on and connected. To avoid burnout, I love to go on ranch vacations with my daughter. Without any TV, WiFi and limited cell service, it is the perfect way to recharge and reconnect with the ones I love most and completely unplug from the stresses of work.”
“It is a truly unique experience, exploring the mountains on horseback. Horses provide their own kind of therapy and can be a respite for the mind and the soul! Our trips have become an annual tradition, and I wouldn’t trade that time for anything.”
Taking trips that ensure limited digital connectivity is a genius hack. It removes the wagging finger of guilt that entreats us to define ourselves solely via vocation. When it’s not possible to arrange for remote travel, placing personal limits on the digital realm can also be effective.
Another winning strategy to recharge is to engage in any form of exercise. With a rigorous travel schedule and an unmatched zeal for life, David Samad of Samad is setting the pace.
David Samad of Samad
“Long-distance running for me, especially, was the best form of destressing. The more I ran, the better I was able to cope with the everyday stress points we all encounter, which are part of life. Going to work, getting married and having children, owning your own business, these all come with responsibility. The human body is designed to absorb only so much, so I deal with stress by daily rigorous exercise. It recharges the mind, body, and soul.
Stress is a killer if you don’t have the antidote to keep it under control. Marathoning was my antidote for dealing with stress. Sadly, my long-distance running days are over. Now I have become addicted to playing tennis. Tennis is very much like a chess game, and it is rewarding even if you lose. All it makes you want to do is just get better at it. I have taken that ethic into my work life. Our company turns 40 years old in January of 2025, and all I want to achieve is working on making it grow better and stronger with my brother Malcolm and the entire Samad Team.
“Stress is a killer if you don’t have the antidote to keep it under control.“ DAVID SAMAD
I have another secret weapon, and that is my wife, Johanna, who is a long-time yoga and meditation teacher. With her years of experience, she has taught me, the guy that can’t ever keep still, to meditate. Getting to an airport, flying to another city, renting a different car, navigating through unfamiliar roads to plan customer visits, and ending up in a different hotel every night, living out of a travel bag and dealing with the dreaded jetlag is something that doesn’t come without its fair share of stress. Personally, I love my work and find traveling so rewarding, but like everything in life, one must find a balance. I truly love my job and wouldn’t change it for the world because it simply is my world.”
Brian Robins and Rebecca Lurie of Kush Rugs. Photography by: CODY WHEELER
Rebecca Lurie, co-owner of Kush Rugs, also finds yoga an indispensable self-care tool. Rebecca arranged for a weekly class at Kush through Yoga to You PDX. They set up the mats and provide a rotating group of teachers, each with their own vibe and signature style. The Kush Rugs team has the option to participate, or leave an hour before close. Either option provides them a break from their usual schedule, and time to recharge.
“I have long wished to have a workplace yoga class for myself and our team, and achieving that goal has been extremely rewarding. We all look forward to our Wednesday afternoon classes, and the act of practicing together has been a bonding, team-building experience. Like a mid-week retreat, together we orient our racing minds toward stillness. Yoga is a moving meditation—the simple act of breathing in the face of physical exertion reminds us that we can move through challenges calmly and with focus. Doing it as a team helps us see one another as the flawed yet striving humans we all are, and that we are better together.”
After almost a year of practicing yoga, I remain a clunky novice. However, I’ve stopped thinking of our weekly class as a decision to be weighed and turned it into my Wednesday habit. The mental and physical benefits are undeniable.
“The simple act of breathing in the face of physical exertion reminds us that we can move through challenges calmly and with focus.“ REBECCA LURIE
It’s heartening that work culture is slowly evolving beyond the humble brag of how many hours we’ve put in. Burnout isn’t a badge of honor, it’s a physical and mental state that becomes harder to reset with each day it steals. We can be forever busy and yet reap less success due to diminished performance. Let’s give ourselves permission to unplug, exercise, and engage in self-care. If we allow space in our life to recharge, our “rug life,” will be all the sweeter.
