Five Reasons You Need To Schedule Time Off Being an overachiever is great, but no one is at their best when they're overworked and switched on 24/7.

By Shoug Al Nafisi

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Being an overachiever is great, but no one is at their best when they're overworked and switched on 24/7. It's been proven time and time again that some downtime is better for workplace morale, productivity, and health. If that isn't good enough, here are five reasons that you should force yourself to take a breather:

1. Burn Baby Burn

That constant buzz of work around the clock will very likely wear you out. In order to handle that, it's best to take a break before you burn yourself right out.

2. Power Down

Taking a break could serve as forced detachment from work and related daily stress. Good recovery through restful sleep puts you in a much better state to take on a productive and demanding lifestyle once you're back.

3. Planning Prowess

Time away from work allows for space to evaluate your workplace and career with more perspective. You're more likely to figure out solutions to problems, and spot possible opportunities and advances.

4. Tune Up

Self-development is essential to personal and to professional advancement. Consider short breaks as regular maintenance for your sustained productivity and work-life balance.

5. Diversity Your Portfolio

Cultivating different interests not only makes you more interesting, it also provides you with gains in your outlook. That said, you'll be setting yourself up for potential career wins– interesting people are more likeable, and potentially able to seal more and better deals.

It's safe to say that you'll be missing out on a substantial number of opportunities if you continue to push your physical and mental limits. Schedule a break, and you'll be reaping a much larger reward. It's a strategy backed by research time and time again.

A nutritionist, and public health advocate, Shoug Al Nafisi has worked in domains that ranged between community nutrition, emergency relief, and social media. A humanitarian at heart, she works to promote her firm belief in the wellness of the human being as a powerful and productive entity within the community. As a writer, she has co-authored a scientific publication, and has many writings as a contributor and guest blogger covering topics such as wellness, productivity, and empowerment.
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