Time off is not optional, but a necessity!
This is not a visualization-related blog 😛 thought I should clear this up first.
Once upon a time, the world wasn’t hidden behind masks and doors. A time where life was fast and happening. But in these COVID times, it’s been really hard on all of us but I’m very blessed to have a stable job and family life.
In Pre-covid times, we would take time off from work to take a vacation with friends and family. But now going out is not an ideal option. And frankly speaking, I have been avoiding it a lot. I stay inside to avoid bringing any exposure to my home. Keeping my family safe has been my number 1 priority.
People have reduced taking leaves. But I have been making sure that I take some time away even though it just means staying at home. People ask me why do I need to take leave just to stay at home. And my answer has been because I need it!
Why do we need time off?
Time off will be good for your health. Not only are vacations relaxing, but they can boost our productivity and creativity — if done right. The constant grinding at work will lead to your breakdown. And I mean it!
Recently, I started to feel annoyed with work. I didn’t realize how work had started to get to me personally. Smallest or easiest work would take me more time than usual. And this is bad because I actually love my work.
I started noticing changes in my behavior. These are the general signs that you should watch out for.
• My productivity was reduced
• I wasn’t motivated to work as much as I used to
• I was making careless mistakes at work
• I wasn’t able to focus on work for a long time
How did I spend my mini-vacation at home?
It was heavenly! I was speaking to a friend of mine on the first day of vacation and she told me how bored I’ll get in the next few days. I told her that I won’t be bored at all.
And I didn’t. So how did I pass my time? I watched a lot of horror movies :)
I have been watching an old series “Grimm” and it’s really good. If you’re into strange things like creatures, this is for you.
I also used this time to try out a few dishes that I had bookmarked. I think I’m alright at cooking, but I’m kind of good at snacks 😉
Like many of you already know that Tableau has been a big part of my life and that doesn’t mean just for work. I worked on a few of my passion projects and also on a few MakeoverMonday and WorkoutWednessday challenges :)
And lastly my favorite, I love taking naps, so that’s what I did all week! So peaceful.
I have probably slept at least 9 hrs daily! I mean that does include the afternoon naps 😉 which is still a lot for me 😃
I wish we could go back to that time when we could meet people without the fear of COVID. Can’t wait for that day! an actual vacation with my family and friends :)
Now, if you’re not taking time off then you must! Work is work, please don’t make it your life. Take a day off at least once in a few weeks and also frequent vacations.
Let me end this post with a quote
“Taking time to do nothing often brings everything into perspective.”
― Doe Zantamata
Thanks for taking the time to read this :) Take care and stay safe :)
