Rest is Resistance: Why Taking Time Off Isn’t a Luxury, It’s a Necessity

Administrative Profession Culture & Events Goal Setting July 28, 2025

I’m writing this from a sun lounger on the Mediterranean coast.

I’m one week into my summer break, with my 28-year-old son and 46-year-old stepson here to soak up the Spanish sunshine with me. We’ve spent most of it exactly where we should be – on the beach, resting, reconnecting, not working.

And before anyone asks – yes, our Take 5 newsletter and my social media is the only work I’ll be doing this summer. Unless the sky falls in, I’m off the clock.

Because here’s the thing: rest is not optional. It’s not indulgent. It’s essential.

And yet, far too many professionals, especially assistants, still wear overwork like a badge of honour. “I haven’t taken a single day off this year,” they say, expecting admiration. What I see is someone racing towards burnout. And it’s not impressive. It’s reckless.

The data backs it up:

💡According to the World Health Organisation, burnout is now recognised as a legitimate occupational phenomenon linked directly to chronic workplace stress.

💡Taking vacation increases productivity by 80%, according to research from the American Psychological Association.

💡A study by Expedia found that 50% of UK workers don’t use their full annual leave, and 37% feel guilty when they do.

Running yourself into the ground does not make you indispensable. It makes you unsustainable.

At Executive Support, we don’t play that game. My team takes two full weeks off every August, which is mandatory. No emails. No sneaky check-ins. Just proper rest.

Because when September comes, we’re not crawling back – we’re recharged, focused, and ready to hit the ground running.

So if you’re sitting there telling yourself you’re “too busy” to take a break, I’ll tell you what I tell every assistant I coach: You’re not too busy. You just like being needed.

And that’s a trap.

Manage your time. Plan for your vacation the minute you get back in the New Year, Protect your energy. Guard your time. Take the vacation.
Your executive will survive. Your inbox will wait. And your future self, rested, sharp, and ready, will thank you for it.

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If your assistant always agrees with you, you don’t have a partner.
You have a mirror.

And a mirror can’t warn you when you’re about to walk off a cliff.

Here’s the thing:

• The best assistants sense-check decisions and ask why.
• They push back on processes that waste time.
• They flag risks you don’t want to see.

That isn’t insubordination.
That’s what partnership looks like.

Many executives still confuse silence with loyalty. It isn’t.
Silence is fear. And fear kills performance.

If you’ve hired well, you already have someone who sees what you don’t. When they speak up, they’re not undermining you. They’re protecting you. That’s their job.

I tell every assistant I train: your role is not to be afraid of your executive, but to be afraid for them.

So the next time your assistant challenges you, pause before shutting them down. Ask yourself: What am I missing?

Because here’s the paradox: the voice you silence might be the very one that saves you.
The smartest voice in the room isn’t always the loudest.
Sometimes, it’s the one you’re not ready to hear.

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