The most successful people she knows are those who manage to have a sustainable career and stay well by scheduling regular breaks. "If you don't schedule breaks, something always comes up."
But Barhava-Monteith suggests that if you haven't had a holiday for a long time, it's a good idea to first have a short break.
"Quite a few professional and high-powered people go on the big break and the first week they spend in bed sick, and that is a warning sign that you are not having enough breaks.
"I say take a day off even if you are really busy. And the way that you can enhance that break is by having a digital detox. Turn all electronic devices off for 24 hours."
Tim Bentley, director of NZ Work Research Institute, says regular breaks improve our well-being as well as our productivity. "But we tend not to always take them. Many of us sit there with holidays accrued."
So what stops people taking holidays?
"Organisations are constantly changing and restructuring and there seems to be more downsizing and insecurity. There is increasing concern that if I am not there and not seen to be working, this is going to impact on my job and my career.
"We have an increasingly competitive environment as well between companies and also within organisations. If we have a great role there are other people who want that ... people may step in there temporarily and you may be concerned that you are going to lose that position for good.
"Some people think of time away from work as time wasted, but rest gives us more energy, and energy is what equates productivity and performance.
"Don't look at holidays as a time to catch up on work. If you don't have time for all the jobs you have to do at work, you should be looking at your workload and trying to reorganise so you have time to do all those things, or talking to your boss.
"Breaks are really important, breaks during the working day but also extended holiday periods."
He says people also don't get the same down-time at weekends and in the evenings because technology is like a leash keeping us engaged with work. "Even if it is just the ping of your iPhone. The traditional end to your work day is blurred and most of us don't have the discipline to stop that blurring and to keep that distinction," says Bentley.
"I know it can be difficult if you are a small business owner or in an organisation with a strong emphasis on time spent in the office, being seen to be there and present. We have to move away from that and accept that healthy work involves a balance of effort and rest. People under stress are more likely to bully and be uncivil in other ways.
"There is a lot of evidence that it's not how many hours you are working. It is what you do during those hours, the productivity and the yield of your work.
"There are many good reasons to take a break. It is also an entitlement.
"On holiday we do things we cannot do during our busy work day. Going for walks and swims, keeping fit, maybe doing some sport, eating healthily. Those things are beneficial and help restore our fitness levels."
Forget about work
• Before you go on holiday write down all the things you need to do when you return. Put a note in your calendar or diary and forget about it for the rest of your holiday.
• Don't try to empty your inbox.
• Take a clean break from work, no emails. If you find that impossible, look at them every second day.
• Don't take any work-related reading.
• If you're going with your partner, ask them not to talk about their work while you are away.
