Working Hard, Being Busy, and Downtime Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering common nouns, idioms, collocations, and phrasal verbs related to working hard, being busy, and taking time for rest and relaxation.

a grind

a difficult, tiring, or monotonous routine

a heavy workload

a large amount of work to do

a crunch

a critical, high-pressure period (often before a deadline)

to be swamped (with work)

extremely busy

to be slammed (at work)

very busy and under pressure

to pull an all-nighter

to work/study all night without sleeping

to be up to one's ears/neck in work

very deeply busy

to burn the midnight oil

to work late into the night

to go the extra mile

to work harder than expected

to have a lot on one's plate

to have many responsibilities

to be snowed under (with work)

to have so much work that you can barely manage

to knuckle down

to start working hard, especially after a break

to power through

to continue working despite difficulty or tiredness

downtime

time when you are not working/studying

a breather

a short rest

time off

holiday or extended rest from work/study

to catch your breath

to rest after physical or mental effort

to clear your head

to rest your mind, often by walking or changing activity

to recharge your batteries

to rest to regain energy

to take a load off

to sit down and relax (often after standing/working)

to chill out

to relax completely (slightly informal)

to switch off (mentally)

to stop thinking about work/problems

to wind down

to relax after stress or excitement

to kick back

to relax and do nothing (informal)

to veg out

to relax in a lazy way, usually watching TV or doing nothing (informal)

to be on the go

constantly busy/moving

to work around the clock

to work all day and night

to crash

to sleep or rest suddenly due to exhaustion

to take five

to take a short break (from military/work slang)

to burn out

to become exhausted from overwork

me time

time spent relaxing alone