With our busy ‘always on’ culture, taking a break, even a summer holiday, can feel like a luxury.
However, the idea that we can work increasingly long hours week in, week out without a break and stay productive has long been questioned – whether it was through the Factory Act of nearly 200 years ago or the more recent legislation to protect workers' health and safety.
However, it seems we continue to fall victim to this paradox, where not taking a break is seen as the better option, especially in certain professions, despite the evidence to the contrary.
This was recently brought to the fore during the UK election campaign with Keir Starmer, leader of the ultimately victorious Labour Party, criticised for prioritising spending Friday evenings with his family over work.
Maintaining a good balance between our time at work and our time away from it helps us function better all round. We are more efficient, more productive, less likely to make mistakes or have ‘near misses’, and less prone to becoming physically or mentally unwell.
However, sometimes it is hard to allow ourselves to take time off, especially if we work in a profession (and law is one) or a company that sees working long hours and powering through as somehow admirable, heroic, or showing true commitment.
There are many reasons why time off is important.
First, we need to rest. We are not robots. Even if we were robots, we would still need to have our batteries charged or we would stop functioning. We are humans and humans get tired.
Whether we are working manually, creatively, or at a desk, our brain, as well as our body, gets tired.
Brain holiday
Our brain needs rest and nourishment too. So, if we don’t stop sometimes and let it rest – or exercise a different part of our brain - we become less effective and find it harder to concentrate.
Our creativity or problem-solving capacity is likely to diminish. Of course, this might not the same for everybody and sometimes we get fuelled by adrenalin and find ourselves on a roll – but that should be the exception and not the rule.
So, we need to make sure we build plenty of breaks into our working day, as well as our working week and year. Try and make sure you take a proper break in the middle of your working day. If you find that hard, block it out in your calendar and make sure you don’t book things in.
Soon it will become routine for you and others will accept and respect it too. It is not a luxury; it is the responsible thing to do and you will come back to the rest of your day refreshed in mind and body.
Allow yourself enough time at the end of your working day and week to unwind, relax, exercise, be creative, and spend time with family or friends – whatever works for you.
This will pay dividends for your physical and mental health and, importantly, your relationships.
The same goes for having a holiday.
Sometimes, it can be hard to relax and unwind when you have been very busy, under pressure, or on the stress treadmill. It can make you feel twitchy and uncomfortable, guilty even. This is why it is so important to take your annual leave and have proper holidays, giving yourself enough time away from work to truly unwind (sometimes this can take days so it is especially important not to take work with you).
Without realising it you might find your relationships suffer as you start to prioritise work over everything else. Time spent with people you love is precious.
If you have children, don’t forget they grow up quicker than you would imagine. I don’t suppose many people at the end of their life regret not spending more hours at work. It is more likely they regret missing out on time with their children, and other loved ones or pursuing interests that they enjoy.
Culture change
If you work in an environment that doesn’t encourage people to take breaks, including leaving work on time, having proper holidays, or even time off sick – see what you can do to change the culture.
Try challenging the idea that working more than your contracted hours is not a badge of honour but is actually rather foolish.
If you have too much work to do to fit into your normal working day or week - or if you take time off and it just piles up when you get back - then this needs to be looked at.
As we are all different, there is no one-size-fits-all about how much time off is best for each of us. This may also change depending on your age, circumstances, job role and what motivates you. There are usually parameters that have been set around the hours we are recommended to work, the hours we are paid to work, and how much annual leave we are permitted.
You are entitled to these so it is important not to feel guilty if you stick to them. If there is an unspoken expectation you should work over and above this to get the work done, maybe you should be questioning this.
Taking breaks is important and managing your working hours to enable you to engage with the rest of your life is also important.
For example, if you are asked to do something on a Friday afternoon which will mean you have to stay late to get it done, it is usually OK to say ‘no’ – even if you are the Prime Minister!
It is also important to recognise the value of having time to think, daydream, or just do nothing. You may want to think about how to build time into your life - even if just for a day, when you allow yourself to do nothing at all.
Jonathan’s Voice is named after Jonathan McCartney, a UK patent attorney who tragically took his own life in 2017 at the age of 35. He was described as loyal, kind, and loving, always doing his best for, and by, everyone. One of the group’s primary aims is to help create a healthier working culture in law and give legal professionals the tools they need to deal better with mental health problems including anxiety and depression.
