T-SQL Tuesday #134 – Taking breaks

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My T-SQL contribution for this month is mostly about taking breaks. Because it is something I am trying to get better at.

This month’s T-SQL Tuesday is hosted by James McGillivray. James has invited us all to talk about our own views on vacations, escapes or other breaks.

So, in this post I will do a quick recap of a break I have just had and why it was good. Afterwards, I will cover other things.

You can read more about the invite in detail by clicking on the T-SQL Tuesday logo below.

Recent break

As some of you know from my previous post here, I have recently taken a month off work.

Just to recap, at the start of last year I brought extra holiday to take an extended summer holiday. Because of COVID-19 my plans changed. Instead I worked as SQL Server Product Owner most of the year and done a load of things for the community instead.

I didn’t realise it at the time but that break in December was well needed. It gave me the chance to stop after a very busy year.

One of my aims for this year is to be a bit more sensible with breaks without compromising my existing commitments. Wish me luck with that one.

Bucket list vacation

Another thing Jamie invited us to talk about this month is a bucket list vacation. One where you would do things you have already wanted to do.

I did tease online last week how honest I should be with this one. Due to the fact that in reality I kind of done it when I was in my twenties.

I took an extended holiday in Australia and did a whole host of things. For example, diving in the Great Barrier Reef, cantering horses and skydiving.

It’s funny because my first day in Sydney I bumped into two people I knew from my home area. Afterwards, I travelled up to Cairns and bumped into a friend’s younger sister. In addition, I meet a fair good people along the way.

For instance, I met lots of people along the East coast and when I was in Alice Springs a friendly Dutch lady helped me look after my friend’s sister when she got ill. Even though I left them all behind in Australia I still keep in touch with some of them.

Once it’s safe

Once it’s safe to do so I’d love to go to Australia. After all, that is what I paid the extra holiday for at the start of last year.

Besides, I’d like to catch up with some people and return to some places.

However, I do know that the Dutch lady is no longer living in Australia. In 2015 I visited the Netherlands one weekend to see her again, last year we celebrated our third wedding anniversary.

Culture shift

Moving to the Netherlands has meant a bit of a culture shift as far as breaks are concerned. Over the years most of my breaks have been one or two weeks long. However, it turns out that a lot of Dutch people have two to three-week holidays.

Trust me, it’s taken a while to get use to this culture shift.

Regular breaks

At the moment it’s hard for a lot of us to go away. However, I know a lot of people have plans for when it’s safe to do so again. It’s good to think about the things you have to look forward to doing.

One thing is certain though no matter what everybody’s travel options currently are. Regular breaks are important, even if you do not realise it.

It’s easy to fall into a mindset of working all the time. Either due to work demands or because of times like now where a lot of us have to work from home. Especially if you’re working with something that you have invested a lot of time and effort on, like a SQL Server environment.

However, I do highly recommend taking them more often. Even if that means being away from your computer for a day at home.

Final word

Anyway, I hope me talking about taking breaks has been of interest? It’s different from a lot of my other posts and I hope it has given some of you food for thought.

If you have any views or comments about this post feel free to reach out to me.