If you’ve been putting off that much-needed vacation because there’s simply too much work to do, you might actually be doing yourself more harm than good. A good work-life balance will not only help save your sanity, but also help keep you focused and more efficient.
Peter Handal, Chairman, President and CEO of Dale Carnegie Training, sums it up best in a recent interview:
“At Dale Carnegie Training, we strongly believe that performance is a function of enthusiasm, discipline and creativity. To this end, time away from the office can be as important as time within the office because a solid vacation enhances one’s creativity by exposing the individual to new environments.”
Studies have shown that employees who take regular, approved vacation days return to work with a better attitude and greater productivity than those who forfeited that time.
Handal goes on to say:
“The recession has put enormous pressure on American workers, who now feel compelled to work double-time in order to compensate for diminishing resources and manpower. Adding to the challenge is the fact that we live in a world of cost-cutting. It can thus be intimidating to seemingly indulge yourself by speaking up and claiming your vacation time. However, having a mentally and physically exhausted worker is far more taxing on a firm’s productivity.”
So go ahead and recharge. Rejuvenate. Step away from the office for a bit to reconnect to the simple things that make you happy, things that have nothing to do with projects, proposals and deadlines. Do so and you’ll return to your job with a whole lot more patience and a completely fresh perspective.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Central & Southern New Jersey. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @CarnegieJersey.
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