Updated: May 7, 2025 by Michael Kahn. Published: May 7, 2025.
Whether you’re an employer or an employee, the importance of regular vacations cannot be emphasized enough. They are a key ingredient in the recipe for a successful career, helping you to avoid burnout while creating a better quality of life.
While the opportunity to switch off from the stress of work is a wonderful thing, you need to keep your brain switched on. Otherwise, you may lose momentum and find yourself struggling to regain productivity upon your return. Here are seven simple tips to help you maintain a sharp mind when taking time off from work.
1 Enjoy Brain Training Games
This is a time for you to avoid work. Just as your muscles need regular exercise, though, the brain needs to stay active. Brain training games are the perfect option as they keep the mind sharp in a fun and relaxed way. Completing a daily word search isn’t overly taxing on the brain. Yet, it will keep the mind active, especially when you want to recognize word patterns fast.
Other games including quizzes, solitaire, sudoku, and chess can all be used to great effect. Crucially, you can keep the brain active with just a few minutes of daily play. This gives them a huge advantage over console games that could consume a large part of the day. Better still, they are the perfect activity to kill some time in moments like waiting for public transport.
2 Visit Educational Attractions
Whether you travel during your time off or stay locally doesn’t matter. You should use this recreational time to explore new places and activities. When finding attractions, you should look for solutions that offer some educational insights. As long as your brain is taking on new wisdom and knowledge, you will keep it sharp for when you return to work.
It doesn’t have to mean visiting museums either. Visiting a film festival, for example, could be the perfect option if you love movies. Or you could check out sports stadiums, complete a walking tour of a city, or look for immersive experiences. This is supposed to be a leisurely activity, so make sure that it feels relaxed and fun. In turn, there will be no turning back.
3 Learn A New Skill
Keeping the brain engaged with activities that lead to personal growth will always deliver good results. Learning new skills is one of the most effective solutions. This could focus on talents that could support your career, such as learning a new language. Or you may opt for something totally unrelated like learning to play an instrument or cook a certain cuisine.
Either way, the break from work is a perfect opportunity to throw yourself into a new skill. This fast-tracked approach to getting from novice to intermediate gives you a solid platform to build upon. Following this, there should be opportunities to integrate this new activity into an ongoing lifestyle. The mental stimulation and renewed passion for life can only aid the cause too.
4 Write
Writing is one of the most commonly overlooked crafts. However, your break from work is the perfect opportunity to see its benefits. From journaling to creative writing, there are many ways for you to attack the situation. Expressing yourself in this way is a very therapeutic activity. Better still, it is a chance to remove a weight of stress from your shoulders with instant rewards.
For the best results, try to switch off screens so that you can truly tap into your mindset. While a little background music is fine, a short spell where you are focused on putting pen to paper is the goal. It exercises parts of your brain that often go underappreciated. If nothing else, it helps you think critically and strategically. Naturally, this will help you once you’re back at work.
5 Lean Into Creative Hobbies
Writing is only one example of a creative hobby that can help you keep the brain active. If you love painting or drawing, a break from work gives you the opportunity to create a masterpiece. Again, you could do this from the comfort of home. Alternatively, you may find that the new surroundings of a vacation spot provide inspiration. Either way, your mind will stay engaged.
Moreover, there’s nothing quite like stepping back to see the results of your hard work. The sense of satisfaction and renewed confidence can spill over into your work. Moreover, the knowledge that you have spent your time in a productive way keeps you in a positive frame of mind. The fact you’ve been using your brain to solve problems and build your art is great too.
6 Help Others
If you are staying at home for your time off, there is a risk of boredom. This won’t be an issue if you support others, though. Joining a volunteering event is a chance to do something good for your community. Moreover, the new environment is sure to keep your brain active. Likewise, it is a chance to enjoy interactions with a diverse range of people. Even for a day, it is an ideal task.
Alternatively, you may wish to focus on supporting loved ones. This could mean visiting the care home that your elderly parent lives at. Or you may find that pet sitting or helping out a neighbor benefits you as well as them. It’s still a change of scenery and break from the monotony of your job. So, you can enjoy these assignments before throwing yourself back into work.
7 Exercise & Meditate
Healthy body, healthy mind. It’s the oldest cliche in the book, but its value should not be ignored. A little exercise is great for releasing endorphins. Moreover, it promotes better blood flow, which helps keep the brain active. This is particularly important when your break from work means you naturally take fewer steps during the day. Even a 30-minute routine will suffice.
Meditation is another very powerful tool. A few minutes of breath work and mindfulness works wonders for general brain health. You will learn a lot about yourself while also resetting your mindset. With this in mind, you will return to work feeling fresh and ready to tap into the full power of your brain in an energetic way. Your transition back to work will feel smoother.
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Whether she is researching the latest trends in home decor, life-changing destination getaways, or the best way to maintain your finances, Dewey takes pride in leaving no stone unturned. She is passionate about distilling and delivering high-quality information that you can use to upgrade your life.
