A great side effect of taking paid time off of work? You have time and energy for “life stuff”, in other words, the reasons why many of us go to work in the first place.

I didn’t go on a trip. I spent quality time w/my family & made
strides toward building the life we want.

It was really, really nice to do things that had nothing to do with “generating value” or “increased productivity”. They were valuable nonetheless, the kinds of things that can’t be neatly expressed or measured as a metric.

When I’m in a steady flow of working, I think a lot about productivity. I admit that I fall into the trap of equating my value to my productivity.

An extended work break is like hitting the pause button and it gives you some perspective. Take a break if you can. You deserve it.