As we’re in the middle of a traditional holiday week in Japan I hope you’re all taking the time to really unplug from the daily demands of your work time and are engaging in activities that will fully take your mind off work. As a natural workaholic, I know how hard it is to fully unhook yourself from the demands of your work life, but I’ve been on the edge of full-blown burnout before and I make a point to regularly take a step away from work and have some fun.

And it’s not just “let’s party” fun–what’s most important is finding something that really allows you to disconnect from your daily routine, become fully focused on something else, and which gives you real and deep satisfaction. I’ve actually just enrolled in an elearning course for learning how to draw, which is something I’m terrible at but which I also enjoy and is a great way for me to take my mind off of work.

Having been close to burn-out from overwork, it is painful for me to see so many people in Tokyo so far out of balance in their lives. In fact, I had someone in my office the other day who told me of two of his co-workers who were hospitalized from the pressures put on them by their agency. This is a subject for a future post, but it is shocking how common this is.

I am all for working hard (and smart) but in order to be effective you need to take quality time off and refresh and renew yourself. Enjoy the week and I wish you all the best for the year ahead!