@IceLover I'm self-employed and was able to take things gently for as long as I needed to - I gave myself two weeks of 'no pressure' when I started pumping, and it was a really, really good move.
I do take on board the importance of getting used to the pump in conjunction with one's normal routine, and huge respect to
@tim2000s for his approach.
I'm glad I took the time out, and I was very grateful for the support of friends (who came swimming with me so I wasn't alone to start with), my husband (who has taken the trouble to get to know my pump as well as I do), my family (who calmed me down when I found it hard to cope) and my clients (who were supportive and patient).
I don't think there's a magic answer to 'how long?'. But taking some time purely to concentrate on getting to grips with it certainly was the way forward for me. I found it was a big deal to take on board, but life in general is way, way easier now than in my pre-pumping days. Life-changing doesn't even cover it!