For me, it’s important that I only work to live, not live to work. But sometimes this gets overlooked when both partners are business owners. That was the case in my relationship; we’re both entrepreneurs doing something we’re passionate about.

In recent months, this has got the better of us. We stopped having holidays and weekends and started working late. This affected our sleep, mental health, and relationship. I finally called it and said to my partner, “I want to work to live, not live to work, and something needs to change.” This created a wake-up call for him.

We both agreed to go on our first holiday, during which we won’t look at any emails and will not be available for any work. Wow. This was radical for us. We only took one week, which took some getting used to, not having to do anything. The result was amazing. It created a big reset for both of us, and we returned refreshed.

Many leaders I work with face this same trap, where passion for their work becomes an excuse for burnout. They think taking time off shows weakness or a lack of commitment. But what I learned from our one-week digital detox holiday is that rest isn’t a luxury, it’s a live necessity. We came back refreshed with a completely new attitude toward rest.

APPLY: We now have a new rest culture that’s transformed our energy and effectiveness:

• Work stops at 6pm
• Early dinner at 6:30pm
• Screens off at 9:30pm
• In bed at 9:30pm
• Reading for an hour, lights off at 10:30pm

We’re sleeping 8 hours a night and have more energy for work during the day. We feel relaxed and enjoy our work again.

Your team’s performance depends on your energy. What’s your rest culture?