It’s summer and the beach is calling! You love the idea of jetting away somewhere slightly more exotic than the grey interior of your office, but you’re snowed under at work and there’s no way you can deal with the workload that’ll be left to pick up when you return. Sound familiar?
STOP! You’re on track to working yourself into the ground. We all need a break from time to time, or you’re putting yourself at risk of stress and believe it or not, a bit of R&R can actually benefit your career.
If you’ve recently started a new job, or are trying hard to make a good impression, it’s a temptation to forgo your annual leave out of fear of it reflecting badly on you, or causing you to fall behind with work. You may feel like it’s actually benefiting your career at the time, however, it can in fact be damaging to your productivity if you don’t give yourself a break.
So if you think about it, taking a vacation is actually GOOD for your career. Just keep in mind that you should always give plenty of notice before taking time off and prepare any work or necessary cover ahead of time so that your boss is not left in the lurch when you’re gone.
Here are a few reasons why taking a vacation can be beneficial.
1. Taking breaks improves productivity
You might think that working late and not taking time off means you will get more work done, but research has actually found that when working long hours, employees aren’t as creative and find it hard to maintain the same intensity level in their work. So by working yourself too hard, it could actually be detrimental to the quality of your work.
Week by the pool anyone?
2.You’ll be healthier
If you don’t take the time off to relax and unwind, you are putting yourself at risk of becoming stressed. Stress can have negative implications for your health, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and depression. So it’s important to look after yourself, as well as your workload!
3. Quality time with loved ones
Chances are that if you’re working long hours, you don’t get to spend as much time with your loved ones as you’d like to. By taking some annual leave from work, you can set that time aside to spend quality time with them, whether it be at home or on a trip together. Spending time with your friends and family may be just what you need to unwind and improve your mood after a stressful period at work.
4. New experiences
There is so much to do and see in the world, which just isn’t going to happen from the confines of your office. Take a break and experience new things, or you may regret it later.
If you’ve been meaning to take up a new hobby, this could be your chance to give it a go and you never know, it may even open doors to new opportunities in the future. So step away from the computer and go enjoy yourself!
5. Work-Life balance is important
If a good work-life balance is not met in your job, it’s likely that you will start to build negative feelings towards work or your employer, and it could also take its toll on your health. In order to be happy at work and maintain the drive to work at the best of your ability, it’s important for you to be able to balance work and your personal life so that you are not deprived of doing things you enjoy outside of work and are living a healthy lifestyle.
