"I was becoming too obsessed with stats on Medium and was losing sight of my real purpose for being on the platform." Yes, yes, yes, Tyler! Every single word sounds like you picked it straight from my brain, which is just as obsessive-compulsive type, hot and cold, and over the top as yours. Even the realizations that you reached, mirror my own. Most recently, I didn't step away from Medium, but I stepped away from writing about Medium. Believe me, there are some lessons to be learned on that front as well, and they may not be what people assume. I swear, Medium is the place I love to hate and hate to love, all day long. Welcome back dude, and I'm glad you took time to enjoy the sights in the real world :-)