Official leave is good leave

Back from a fantastic two weeks in Melbourne. For what was very much a relaxed, nicely paced break, I did amazingly well at catching up with family and friends, thanks mainly to the organisational skills of others. Amongst all of this, I also managed to get some wedding planning stuff done. The suits are ordered, the venue is booked, and the bucks party preparations are underway.

So I had a good two weeks. To anyone battling through a PhD like myself, wondering why you should bother taking official leave when you can pretty well just stay away when ever you want anyway, I urge you to consider filling out the official form every now and then. There is something about "official leave" that takes away that uneasy feeling that comes from the much more common "not so official" leave that many of us take (otherwise known as mental health days). In my two weeks of official leave, I felt it my duty to not even mention the word research, let alone do anything, or read anything. Bloody brilliant!

Of course, the problem is, now I'm used to the good life. I cannot say I have come back to my PhD with all guns blazing. With the sun out, and summer well and truly upon us (not withstanding the occasional random snow fall), the last place I feel like being is at my desk. This is, of course, not exclusive to research, but any line of work that restricts ones access to their happy place. In general, however, things are good, and I am all the better for my "official leave".