How Vacation Makes You Better

During your last vacation did you completely unplug? If not, you are in the company of 82% of Americans who work on vacation, and 90% who check work messages. Some people say this shows commitment to hard work and dedication to the job. Unfortunately, you lose the productivity boost and risk burnout when you do not take time off and completely unplug

Downtime improves your overall health, mental capacity and resilience. Whether you get downtime from vacation or even a weekly media fast (a day when all technology gets disconnected), intentionally disengaging increases your productivity and creativity because your perspective is refreshed.

If taking a vacation not only has a direct impact on our health, happiness and well-being but also our ability to do our jobs… well, why are 55% of Americans not even scheduling time off? Some of the reasons cited include wanting to be perceived as more dedicated and less replaceable, feeling that there is too much work to leave behind, or concern that it will put a burden on coworkers, especially while many workplaces are still understaffed.

We see vacation and the lack of ability to disengage as a culture issue, both in general addiction to ‘busyness’ and at the organizational level. Next week we will share five actions that reinforce a culture that values time off to rest and recharge.

“When you are constantly immersed in work, you’re stuck in the weeds, which means that you describe every problem you’re solving in terms of the specifics of that problem. Getting away from work for a little while gives you a different perspective on it. It actually makes you think about the problems a little more abstractly, and that often leads to more creative solutions,” says Art Markman, author of Bring Your Brain to Work.