"You can't work all the time"

"You can't work all the time" was the advice floating around the mathematical world when I started my career about thirty years ago. Easy to ignore, easy to suppose it didn't apply in one's special circumstances, to imagine that somehow another few hours spent hurling oneself against the intransigent Problem would somehow magically transform into a golden solution. But then one would be forced to take time out - whether because of sheer mental exhaustion, or a heavy head-cold, or helpful friends dragging one down to the pub - and the difference afterwards would be striking! Moreover I finally discovered the importance of annual holidays when we started having kids; time out at Easter and time out in the summer can make all the difference between stale paper-pushing and real productivity.

These days I take my time-off more seriously. No point trying to work on a Sunday; I know my performance will be poor and I will pay for the indulgence in terms of two wasted days the next week. Futile to avoid the annual holiday; I'll be regretting it all through the next term. Based purely on an objective evidence-based approach, either one takes time out or the wheels start spinning in the mud.

So we had a good break over the summer: trains, castles, butterflies, and taking a long time to get up in the morning.

It's not all a matter of pragmatic efficiency, of course. If work is all I do, then how will I ever be able to say, "I am not a number, I am a free Man!". How ever will I escape The Village?

Because of the fourth commandment, adequate rest is a matter of holiness - and the commandment is about ensuring adequate rest for those about me, as well as for myself. This is why one of the chief duties of a Vicar's Warden is to fix the cleric with a stern but loving eye, and say, "So how did you spend your day-off this week?".

Was my summer break long enough? probably not: I think I will have to pay careful attention this year in order to make sure I have enough time out. But I can see the difference it has made when I review my two blogs just before the break ...