A 3 weeks hiatus
At the end of December, I took three weeks of vacation. I kept my leaves so that I can rest, break from the daily routine and spend quality time with my family.
Why?
Many of the creative people and authors say that they often take a lengthy period of rest at least once a year to break from their work to recuperate. Some travel around the world, others return to their hometown.
They share how they feel upon returning to work; fresh, relaxed and highly motivated. They can work at their peak productivity without fearing burnouts.
For me, the worst obstacle for appreciating work is the daily traffic jam. I have to patiently wait for dozens of minutes even though I reside relatively near to my office. I can go to work sooner to avoid such situations but I have other responsibilities to cater for including working out at the gym. During the school holidays period, there is, however, not much traffic jam, which is enjoyable for me.
WHAT DID I BENEFITED?
I relaxed during this time.
I spent plenty of time with my family.
I had more time to relax and do nothing.
I dedicated a few hours per week to read books.
I went to visit relatives.
My body recuperated well.
Spending time away from work made me completely forget it.
During my rest time, I could better reflect on my life, my career and how to improve my work. Sometimes you have to cut from the work you are doing to be able to better understand what you are doing.
When I returned back to work:
- I was motivated to contribute back; mostly as I became a bit bored at the end of the holidays
- It was as if my brain has been reset
- A few months before, I could not focus more than 5-6 hours of work
- On the first days, due to the work load, I focused 8 hours completely on work; something that I did not do for a long time