“the greatest barrier to taking time off is the fear that they will look replaceable”
Instead of enjoying much needed and earned time off, workers forfeit days in order to appear more valuable. That’s insane.
Katie Denis writes that Americans need to do a better job of taking their vacation days and using them to travel — their mental and physical health depends on it.
— Read on www.cnn.com/2018/05/09/opinions/take-more-vacation-days-america-opinion-denis/index.html
This is a notion I wholeheartedly agree with. Instead of focusing on grinding 24/7/365, we need to do a better job at enjoying life and living in the moment.
The article goes on to highlight how Americans on average take 17.2 dats of vacation per year, a decrease from 20.3 previously average between 1978-2000. And while those Americans report being 20% happier with their personal relationships and 56% happier with their health and well-being, I cant help but wonder if those of us that didn’t travel didn’t because of financial priorities.
What the article does not account for is the American’s ABILITY to travel in the first place. Irregardless, the main point takeaway is Americans are failing to take the time off they’ve earned – whether they use their time to travel or not. Americans forfeited 212 million days which could not be banked, rolled over or paid out.
This, in my humble opinion, is part of the reason many feel overworked and stressed.
As a manager, leader, coworker, encourage your peers (and more importantly yourself!) to take much earned time off.
Here’s a few tips to enjoying your time off:
- Feel free to take time off, and do absolutely nothing. Relax. Time off is “You Time”, so spend it however you feel most comfortable.
- Choose random days off during the week. Maybe take a Wednesday off and knock out our own to-do list when everyone else is at work. Or maximize a weekend by taking a Monday/Friday off and make it a three day weekend.
- Plan ahead. You might enjoy a spontaneous day or make a list of things you’ve been meaning to take care of. Go to the movies, go on a hike, netflix and chill, etc.
- Focus on family or loved ones. Take the kids to school, make dinner for the spouse, visit family you rarely get to see.
Do you have any tips, suggestions or comments? Comment below! I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.
Do you take all of your earned time off? How do you typically spend your time off?