"My oxen are always in the ditch!"

My work schedule requires that I'm on duty seven days a week sometimes. I've been told that God wants me to take a day off or I may be missing his blessing. Is that true? They also tell me "my oxen are always in the ditch"! Do we need to die to self? What about dying daily? And didn't Jesus say to "deny yourself"? How do we get busy living if we're always busy dying?