We’re not good at walking away from our work.

We eat lunch at our desks. We compulsively check our work email well into the evening, and on vacation, too. We log a few hours on the weekend to catch up from last week (or get ahead on next week).

There’s mounting evidence that constant work makes our lives worse without improving our output, and the solution is simple, if not easy: work hard, and then stop working. Take real breaks during the workday and embrace active leisure during off hours. Work hard until quitting time, then relax—really relax.

A bright line between work and play makes both more satisfying.