Took a full week completely off from the search and came back to it noticeably sharper

Four months in, applying most days, DSA most days, the whole routine, and I could feel myself getting worse at interviews rather than better — flatter answers, slower recall, less patience in mock sessions.

Booked nothing that week on purpose. No applications, no problems, didn't even open the tracker spreadsheet. Genuinely expected to feel behind and guilty by day three. Instead by day five I was actually looking forward to picking it back up, which hadn't been true in weeks.

First interview back after the break went noticeably better than the ones right before it, and I don't think that's a coincidence. Wish I'd given myself permission to do this a month earlier instead of treating a day off like a moral failure.