Time off from guitar.....

If you want to. I dont usually.

I sometimes do take a week break though (very sporadic, great streches of time in between).

It's simple: play when you want to play. Whether that is one hour a week, or 24/7.

There's no reason you 'should' take time off from playing, as long as you're not injured. Take time off if you want to, but not because someone else says it's a good idea.

I think that it differs from person to person. If I practice guitar for a week straight (I'm talking focused practice on some aspect of my technique), it is best for me to take a day off. It helps what I learn to sink in.

There is a saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. It is good from time to time; to put the guitar down and concentrate on something else because when you come back…… you will appreciate it that much more.

Becoming a “good” (never mind GREAT) guitarist takes a LONG time…….so breaks every now and then will help.

Psychology!
It's like with everything else. For example, when I started to go skiing I didn't make much progress in the first year but about 10 month later I was on a much higher level.
Sometimes your mind needs a little break. It unconsciously will still "work" on your technic.
That's at least my experience.

I have been playing over 30 years and I've played just about every single day. If I didn't it had to be something like a business trip where I couldn't take the guitar along. On family vacations I always take it. I guess it's an individual thing. If you feel burnt out, heh, take a few days off. But I've never felt that way. I just love to play. I got up early this morning and played my electric unamplified for about an hour (everyone was asleep).
Boy, I don't know what I'd do without guitar. It is my fun.

As far as progressing, I don't worry about that. I know if I keep playing I will progress. You cannot tell progress over a short period like a week or even a month. But over a year you can tell. I like to practice on my weaknesses like sweep picking arpeggios or speed picking. There is always something to work on. That's one reason I love guitar and have fun everyday, it's never boring, always a challange.

Somtimes you need what I call "processing time". Say I learn a new riff that's particularly tricky for me to get down. If I spend 20 minutes to simply memorize the riff, and have the order of the notes ingrained into my brain I can pick up my guitar the next day and be able to belt it out after a few minutes practice.

Somtimes when I'm having a day when my playing is absolute crap I know I need to take a break.

Hmmm, need? I read the responses and I like ‘em. But it reminded me that guitar is a hobby. A way to have some fun. It's not a chore or a way you're putting food on the table (for most of us, that is). Sure we all want to be better but it's all about the amount of time you put into it.

We all have maybe 15-18 hours of time each day to work, do chores, eat, socialize, and whatnot. Guitar fits in there somewhere but it's simply a hobby. Taking a day, week, or month off is fine. There are other pleasures in life out there.

(As I said that, I have the spooky feeling of having guitar players revolting that playing guitar is not the center of the universe).