In praise of … taking a break

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/19/in-praise-of-taking-a-break

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David Cameron has gone to Cornwall with his family, provoking the customary critical commentary that he is deserting his duty when the national interest requires eternal vigilance. As he points out, he will of course only ever be an hour or two from Downing Street and his BlackBerry will have reception even on the beach. In the short term there are other people to be vigilant in his place. The culture of presenteeism, by which people are judged by the number of hours that their jacket hangs from the back of their chair or their handbag sits on the floor beside it, is a curse that entirely misrepresents what contributes to useful productivity. Generating news is not the same as reasoning one’s way to a course of action. A few days of fresh air (very fresh, judging from the weather forecast) will be much more likely to result in rational decision-making. He should hand the telephones to the detectives and go surfing.