The modern life is an over-scheduled one—many of us get up after too few hours of sleep only to rush to work, rush home, and spend the evening doing even more work. If you’re passionate about your job or worried about financial security, you may also have found yourself justifying a consistent failure to take time off.
For example, you might promise that you’ll plan a vacation once you get that coveted promotion, or explain to loved ones that people in your line of work just “don’t have time” to take relaxing trips.
Well, Stefan Sagmeister is here to tell you that not only might you be reducing your physical and mental health by refusing to take time off, but you’re also shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to professional success.
A prolific designed, Sagmeister is familiar with the pressures to maintain constant output, but he chooses to close his studio for a full year every seven years. He swears by this process when it comes to rejuvenating his creativity and his passion for his work, and he thinks you can benefit from trying similar tactics.
While you might not be willing or able to take a full year off work, this TED talk will definitely make you think twice about taking a vacation in the near future. Sagmeister shows off his fantastic 
work—the product of his year’s sabbatical and associated travel—proving just how significant the shift in thinking and creativity can be.
So, even if you aren’t swayed by claims that working too hard can lead to a decline in cardiovascular health (though you should be!), at least consider that time off work can actually lead you to be better at what you do in the long-term.
