Making The Most Of Time Off and Holidays

We wrap up Thanksgiving week with some recommendations for making the most of that time off.  While you may be working frantically on Black Friday, there will be a time where you can take a day.  Those days off and vacation times are essential to take advantage of.  You can even become a better developer by making the most of your "downtime."

Get Some Rest

Our lives are incredibly hectic, and the days of often long.  That can chip away at our energy levels and even our health.  One of the primary goals of a day off should be to get some rest.  Take a nap, sleep in, or at least do something mindless.  This is a time to get away from your usual grind and recharge your batteries.  While there are thought exercises we can do best during these times; there still should be some rest planned.  The rest you take can help your morale, attitude, and even your health.

Ways that sleep improves productivity

Meaningful Length To Vacation

Three-day weekends are nice.  However, it takes more than an occasional day off to truly rest and regenerate mentally.  Most of us need a couple of days to wind down and get used to less stress or deadlines.  Thus, spreading our vacation days too thin can defeat the purpose.  It is better than "selling" our vacation back to our employer but only a little bit.  Make sure you put together a vacation of a week or more at least once or twice a year.  That will give you something to look forward to as well as enough time to let your body and mind recover from our typical torrid pace.

True Design and Problem Solving

I hate to throw in a work-related focus during our time off.  However, the periods where we can think without stress and deadlines are the best for processing problems.  There is a reason so many well-known problem solvers in history took time away from the world to rest and re-focus.  We can do the same while toning down our normal struggles and urgencies.  Therefore, the next time you have some time off, take advantage of it.  You earned it.