Back in August, I took a week off work.
Not for a trip. Not for a beach. For my to-do list.
I called it a stay-cation to make it sound cute, but let’s be honest—it was seven days of laundry, Target returns, and reorganizing my life like a contestant on The Home Edit: Burnout Edition.
I wasn’t sipping rosé or reading novels in a hammock. I was catching up—on errands, home projects, and the never-ending to-do list that somehow multiplies when you’re “off.”
It wasn’t restful. It was…necessary.
And apparently, I’m not alone.
According to a recent report, Americans are using PTO to sleep instead of travel. People are taking “vacations” just to catch up on sleep, chores, and life admin—because we’re too tired to actually vacation.
Somewhere along the way, “paid time off” became “paid time to recover from overworking.”
🔌 Unplugged Truth
We’re living in a paradox: we’re working harder than ever to earn time off, only to spend it trying to feel human again.
As one workplace researcher put it:
“People have to live two lives, professional and personal, while some have a combination of the two. Many are juggling work/life which may lead to an unbalance where people will either leave the workforce altogether, which is what seems to be happening currently, or productivity output will decline while at work.”
That’s not a productivity issue. That’s a societal red flag.
We’ve built systems that glorify endurance over energy. And when exhaustion becomes the default, “balance” turns into just another thing on the to-do list.
We don’t need more PTO. We need to stop needing PTO to recover from our lives.
Traditions—big or small—anchor us. They remind us that balance isn’t found; it’s created. And fall, with its crisp air and cozy vibes, practically begs us to slow down. No other season screams, “Prioritize what matters!” quite like this one.
🧯 Sh*t That Helped
Looking back, I wish I made a few small shifts that would’ve made my time off actually restorative. Here’s what I would’ve done differently:
Schedule maintenance days, not vacations. Use one day each quarter for errands and life admin so your “real” time off stays sacred.
Rest on purpose. If you’re taking a day off, plan one thing that fills you up—not just the things that drain your energy in a quieter setting.
Block “re-entry” time. Add an extra half-day buffer before returning to work.
Call it what it is. Not everything needs to be a vacation. Sometimes it’s recovery. Sometimes it’s reset. Naming it helps you manage expectations.
Redefine balance. Maybe it’s not equal hours. Maybe it’s equal intention.
🖊️ Closing Thought
If your “time off” looks suspiciously like life triage—sleeping, cleaning, catching up—you’re not lazy. You’re living in a system that confuses rest with reboot.
But the truth is: you don’t need to earn rest. You need to protect it.
Take the nap. Ignore the dishes. Let the laundry wait another day. Because the world doesn’t need a shinier, more productive version of you. It needs a version that’s awake, alive, and not running on fumes.
So here’s to real PTO—the kind that stands for Permission To Opt out and just be.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
Dina