Vacations are great. They’re a time to relax, de-stress, and recover from your daily routine. But vacations can also benefit your work life by making you more productive at work, boosting creativity, and helping you be more creative. So why not take one?
On my recent vacation, I posted a couple of photos online. The beach really was beautiful, and I wanted to share that with my friends. However, a few people responded, saying that they would love to take a vacation as I was doing, but they are just too busy at work to justify taking time away.
When life is busy, vacation feels more like a luxury rather than a necessity. The University of Pittsburgh’s Mind-Body Center found that taking vacation is important not only for your personal well-being but also for your professional success. In fact, studies have shown that employees who take vacations are more productive, creative, and engaged in their work.
It’s very easy to get caught up in the deadlines and demands. It’s easy to justify that we can’t afford it (you don’t have to go somewhere to take a vacation) or that it creates more havoc for when we return (it does, but take a vacation anyway).
Not taking your vacation negatively impacts your mental and physical health. It creates a vicious circle that continues to give you more work to do (after all, you’re working 52 weeks a year!). And we know that it can lead to burnout and decreased productivity.
Although Warren and I work together, vacation allows us to spend quality time together without discussing work. It gives us time to do the things that allow us to relax and unwind. It benefits our relationship and allows us to return to work with renewed energy.
While we were away last month, we did spend some (very little) time responding to emails. That is one of the drawbacks of being self-employed. He is my backup, and we were on vacation at the same time. We did email in the mornings and rarely discussed work for the rest of the day.
We both felt we had renewed energy when we returned from our week away. I jumped right back in with gusto and had some fantastic creativity and a new outlook on a few things I was working on. Our daily routine had a break; we slept more than usual and absolutely reduced our stress because we didn’t have a to-do list to accomplish. We know that it is a necessity for us.
Vacation boosts creativity. A study from the U.S. Travel Association reported that two out of three US executives expect that vacations increase creativity (Achor and Gielan, 2016). found that people who take vacations tend to be more creative than those who don’t (and let’s face it–if we could all be more creative at work, wouldn’t that make life better?). In fact, another study showed how even just one day off per week can improve productivity by 10% because our brains get “cognitively exhausted” from working nonstop all week.
Do you take your vacation allotment or justify why you don’t?
It’s fair to say that many people feel guilty or anxious about taking time off. They feel guilty that someone else must take care of their email, executive, and tasks that can’t wait.
Ask yourself if you get angry when you are covering for someone else’s vacation, or are you happy they are taking much-needed time off? Most of the time, we are happy to cover for colleagues, knowing they need their vacation.
If you are hesitant to ask colleagues to cover the basics while you are away because they are just as busy as you are or that you will overburden them while you are gone, remind yourself that you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.
We are familiar with the airplane metaphor of putting our oxygen mask on first before helping anyone else. If you don’t have enough oxygen, you can’t help others. If you don’t prioritize your health, you won’t be able to help others eventually, either.
Barriers to your vacation will always exist. Remind yourself that it doesn’t have to cost money, and it doesn’t have to burden your colleagues or create a disaster for when you return; you can plan around those things if you try,
Taking care of yourself is not selfish. It is essential to prioritize your own well-being so you can fully show up for others and perform at your best.
You should take a vacation! You work hard every day and deserve a break from your daily routine. You deserve to relax, recover from stress, and recharge your batteries. Your company deserves the best you, and that means you take time to recharge your batteries.
What are your plans for your next vacation?
