It’s well understood that, while we openly talk about structuring one’s time and attention to effectively balance work and private life, if you really want to succeed as a leader, you clock as many hours as you can — be the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave, life balance be damned.

Research published in 2018, The Project: Time Off survey, finds 24 percent of Americans reported they hadn’t taken a vacation in more than a year, and 52 percent reported having unused vacation days at the end of 2017.

Life balance doesn’t necessarily mean taking a vacation. Leaders need to take time off to invest in themselves, develop hobbies, and work on their health and relationships. We also need to become more multi-dimensional by not letting our jobs define us. We’ve all experienced seasons in our lives that lean more toward our careers — and that’s okay, as long as it’s limited to a season.

If paparazzi had followed you last week, would they have seen a balance of activities at work and outside of work? What’s the impact?