As essential it is for one to put in one's best efforts in line with perseverance and hardwork, it is equally important for one to know when to hit the "RESET" button. Without the instinct to know when to take a step to take two steps forward, one may find themselves hitting against a wall, struggling with efficient growth.
Humans require breaks in order to properly develop. We mostly change in our sleep. When we learn something, or rather when we are trying to learn something, it is important to push hard. But it is equally important that we take sufficient rest. It is in our rest that our body recalibrates and installs the new program you are trying to download into it.
Just like your words, a mind that has a little time to "escape" is much better than a scattered one.
People are conditioned to keep at it, work harder and longer, and I have had to do that to get to where I am in life. I've always had the ability to switch off though, in various ways, and that's been important to the process, as focused effort is difficult to sustain without a balance of rest and relaxation.