I talked to a founder today who plans to work through the holidays. He’s not going to work on Christmas, but he intends to work most other days. He sees this time as an opportunity to work on strategic planning instead of being in the weeds of the business.

This reminded me of myself in the early days of my company. For years, I spent a lot of time during holidays working on things that required long periods of concentration. I made great progress on high-level planning, but I could never recharge and wasn’t as present with family and friends as I could have been.

Eventually I realized that more balance suited me better. I started taking a few days off—no looking at work. I’d spend time with others and recharge. And I’d work on a single initiative the rest of the holiday. If I completed that work, got downtime, and was able to connect with others, it was a win. I still use this approach, and it continues to suit me well.