Why Taking a Vacation is Essential for Workaholics

Workaholics, listen up: a vacation is a must. Gone are the days where boasting about not having had a break in years was something to be proud of. Times have changed, and research shows that more employers and business owners are realizing that taking time off may be more productive for their employees in the long run. However, despite this knowledge, a survey showed that half of the respondents were thinking of skipping their vacation or even taking work with them on holiday. It is time to change that attitude and prioritize taking a break for the following eight reasons:

1. Your office is not the place for inspiration
The work environment is hardly the place to generate new ideas, approaches and problem-solving techniques. You cannot be creative or get inspiration when you are under enormous pressure. A change of scene on a vacation can work wonders. You cannot switch off completely, but when you relax, creativity may blossom. Your mind will start asking questions you never thought of up until now. You’ll have a clearer mind because you are no longer tired.

2. Leave your comfort zone
Taking a vacation is a challenge because you will be moving outside your normal sphere or comfort zone. You will have to get the office organized and work sorted while you are away. It is a wonderful opportunity to delegate and it is beneficial to actually see how the office performs without you. You will have to set up emergency contact procedures just in case, but ideally there should be no other contact with the office.

3. Your health benefits enormously
Look at all the extra bonuses you get. You feel better, sleep well and your mood is lifted. Your stress and anxiety are lower. Heart function and blood pressure begin to come back to normal levels.

4. Give your brain a break
Did you know that the USA is one of the countries where there are fewer days paid vacation, averaging only about 10 days a year? In the EU, the figure is almost double that because 20 days of paid holidays per year is the norm. Most office workers are suffering from a sort of brain flooding where data in the form of emails, phone messages and other documentation starts pouring across the desk. Their brains are like sponges – they can only take so much. But on vacation, new ideas and exotic vistas can strengthen the neural connections and stimulate mental activity.

5. A change is needed
Experiment with when you can take a vacation. Opt for the 100-hour one where you can add two or three days at either side of the weekend. Change your idea that you can switch off at any time. One neurologist says that our brains make it progressively more difficult to switch off if we never take a break. You definitely need a change.

6. Do some networking
While on vacation, you will probably meet lots of new people and you will engage with some of them. They may well be in the same business so it really is worth your while maintaining contact through your LinkedIn profile and message center. The opportunities are endless. You can discover new leads, explore potential new markets, plan revenue generating ventures, and new partnerships. The follow-up should be friendly and without pressure.

7. Look at these extra bonuses
If you are a business owner, you will discover that the office can be run without you. You can see straightaway whether the delegating has worked and whether the projects are still on target. You will never discover how teams really work unless you take a vacation. If you are an employee or in a team leader role, the same principle applies. The projects will all meet their deadlines, and the team is working well together. Now that should impress your boss!

8. Keep yourself and your workers happy
Ernst & Young did an interesting survey. They found that those who took more vacation time were getting consistently better grades on their performance assessment at the end of the year. Overall, they improved by eight percent. The holidaymakers had greater job satisfaction and were more likely to stay with the company. So, forget the old work ethic that longer hours mean dedication and higher productivity. Take a vacation instead.

In conclusion, taking a vacation benefits workaholics in many ways. It rejuvenates, stimulates creativity, helps to build networking opportunities, reduces stress and anxiety, and helps in the long run to increase productivity at work. Going on vacation is like hitting the reset button, it helps to recharge your mind, and aids in becoming more productive in your work. It is important to take vacations, and employers should encourage their employees to take breaks and enjoy time away from work. So next time you start feeling guilty about taking time off, remember the benefits that come with taking a vacation.