I've done it again. There's this thing that I seem to do every year, where from the holidays to April-ish I don't really take any time off. And regardless of what's going on at work, I start to get burned out and tired in conjunction with the rest of life, including parenting and such. I'm feeling it right now. I desperately need a break.
Why does it happen? Believe it or not, part of it is actually having unlimited time off. The policy at any company is that does this is, "Take what you need," but people don't. It feels like a test, when you're in a relationship where the other person sets up an unspoken expectation that if you really love them, you'll know exactly what they expect. And that's ridiculous when I'm telling people that report to me that they should take more time off. If you're told you have five weeks, you'll take five weeks. It's literally part of your compensation. But without specifics, it's awkward.
But it's also that toxic Midwest American work ethic. I don't know where that programming comes from exactly. This year it feels like it's made worse because I'm planning to take two consecutive weeks over the summer, and I therefore should avoid taking time off before then. There's no logic in this.
So I resolve to take some long weekends between now and the Europe trip. I've gotta resolve to not do this again next year. You've gotta take care of yourself.
No comments yet.