Frankly, this is one blog post I'm writing for myself more than any other reader. Too many people I know—beginning with me—work many days without taking a day off.

Based on my own study and conversations with others, here are some signs I need to consider as warnings that it's time to take a day off.

1. You haven't had a day off in a month. I'm learning that there's nothing godly about workaholism. In fact, it's idolatry.

2. You dread going to work because you know the work won't be finished at the end of the day. If you start the day defeated, you probably need to take a break. Daily defeat won't lead to victory.

3. Others comment on your fatigue. Sometimes we're the last ones to recognize the fatigue in our face, but we seldom hide it from others. If others are commenting on your fatigue, it's probably worse than you'll want to admit.

4. Your family doesn't like you anymore. Obviously, I'm being somewhat facetious—but not entirely. When we take out our stress and fatigue on others, we need to take a break.

5. You don't laugh any more at work. Laughter is evidence of some level of fun. If you used to laugh at work but no longer do, the strain will catch up with you. Take a day off and get away.

6. You haven't experienced anything new in months. I'm talking about anything new—a new adventure, a new movie, a new walking trail, a new restaurant and so on. We often don't experience anything new because we're stuck continually in doing the old.

7. Nobody else around you seems to be having fun. Especially if you're a leader, your co-workers will pick up cues from you. If nobody's having fun around you any more, it's quite possible you're the problem. Step away from the strain for a day.

8. Your eating and workout habits are going downhill. Our physical health is at times one of the first visible signs that our life is out of balance. Even if you get all your work done, but at the expense of your health, you haven't ultimately helped anybody.

9. Illnesses are recurrent. Overcoming an illness usually demands rest and sleep. Both of those require taking the time to do so.

10. You no longer thank God for your job. That's not to say that every job is great; it's simply to say that God graces us with employment. When you no longer are grateful to Him, you probably need to step away for a day or two to get refocused.

Chuck Lawless serves as professor of evangelism and missions and dean of graduate studies at Southeastern Seminary. You can connect with Dr. Lawless on Twitter @Clawlessjr and on at facebook.com/CLawless.

For the original article, visit churchleaders.com.

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