Let's be honest now. Most people are overworked, especially in America, where mandatory vacation days are not as strictly regulated. This means working a full time job for the rest of your life until retirement. I'm not going to say you're just another cog in the wheel, because if you really LOVE your job, then there is really nothing wrong with this. However, today I'm going to discuss why taking a day off every single week is important and how even workaholics can benefit from this. You may have a lot of burning questions like where the idea to work continuously every single day came from. Hopefully by the end of my post, you'll be fully convinced that having some time off and a day off are both extremely necessary. Let me start by saying that every human being needs to recharge in cycles. It's simple math. This tends to happen at the end of the work day for most people and for most people throughout the work day, where a lunch break may occur. We were not made to work continuously nonstop every minute of the day. This can very quickly lead to burnout and decreased productivity. I'm not advocating slacking off - Far from that. I'm saying, work to the best of your abilities, and THEN truly relax during your time off. Visit your family. Hit up the gym. Try a new hobby. These are things you can do during your alone time. Most people underestimate how much a day completely off can be beneficial for them. Most companies know this as well. It's very difficult to maintain the same quality of work for over 6 hours straight for just about anybody. For just one day a week, out of your 7 days, choose to have a completely empty day, perhaps a Sunday. During this day, give yourself no responsibilities, no set plans, pay off your sleep debt, and do not do anything else other than plan your budget for that week. Then, when Monday comes around again, you will be fully replenished and be able to give your company 100% of your undivided focus and effort at work. Have you ever wondered why your willpower seems to be much worse at night than in the daytime? For some, it may be difficult to resist a tub of ice cream after work. This is due to a psychological phenomenon where making difficult decisions throughout the day depletes your ability to make decisions until you "recharge" again. This was documented very well in Kelly McGonigal's book, "The WillPower Instinct". It doesn't mater what type of decision you make throughout the day, even if it's something as simple as deciding what to eat for lunch, this burns out your fatigue and your body ends up paying for it. A small amount of cortisol (a stress hormone) is released in your body for every difficult decision. The long story short is, work hard. Work VERY hard when you need to work. Give everything 100%. I'm a hard believer of hard work, it's one of the most important character qualities you can have in life. However, make sure to give yourself one fully empty day a week, ideally on a Sunday so you'll be fully recharged by Monday, and treat it as your sanctuary to do whatever you want, learn new skills, blog, or visit your loved ones. This is not only excellent time management but it is best for your wellbeing and productivity as well.