3 Ridiculous Reasons For Not Taking Time Off
Recently I was thinking about when I was interviewed by a NY Times writer for an article entitled, Keep Your Apple Picking Plans, and how it relates to the holiday season. The essence of the article was about why people keep or abandon plans for leisure time. They had actually interviewed some individuals about their initial plans and followed up to see if they kept them. The results: Some did while some didn’t. Shocker!
I don’t think I have EVER heard someone say, “I wish I hadn’t taken that time off.” There are so many benefits to stepping away for even a short time, but too often we don’t recognize the value until we have gotten way too stressed out. If you’re one of those people who keeps putting off taking some time away (for the holidays or even any time throughout the year), see if you are justifying it with one or more of these 3 ridiculous reasons:
“I have too much to do.”
My immediate question is, “When are you NOT going to have work to be done?” Organizations are operating at maximum capacity almost all the time. And you might be thinking that the more work you get done, the more productive you will be. But the fact is, the heavier the workload, the more you need to take some time to rest and recover so you don’t make mistakes or lose perspective. Leonardo Da Vinci said,
“To remain constantly at work will diminish your judgment.”
Taking some time off freshens your perspective and helps you actually BE more productive.
“I can’t afford it.”
Trips by plane or a cruise might be out of the question at the moment, but what about an automobile trip to visit a friend a couple hours away? They might even let you spend the night in their spare room! Or what about just taking half a day to take a trip to a local park with the family? Just do something that renews your mental and emotional energy. Over the years I have found that it’s not as much about the place as it is the people I am with, and the sense of connection and purpose I get when spending time with them.
“I’ll do it later.”
The harsh truth comes into play here: Can you guarantee you will have a “later”?
I came across a great article by Sujit Lalwani, where he addresses the “I’ll do it later syndrome”. I really liked his quote:
“Situation shouldn’t make it urgent for you to get addressed at any point, your urgency must change your situations for maximum growth possibilities in life!”
I could think of a couple of situations that might occur if you procrastinate long enough from taking some time for yourself. Taking time off might not seem like an urgency in your life, but why wait until it becomes so? According to Forbes, taking vacations:
· Increase mindfulness
· Improve heart health
· Reduces stress
· Boosts brain power and
· Improves sleep
As a matter of fact, the title of their article is, “Why Taking Vacation Time Could Save Your Life”. Taking proactive steps to save your life, sounds pretty urgent to me.
Bottom line: Failing to take time off for some much-needed personal renewal doesn’t just hurt you. You’re limiting your ability to be your best at work, and I’ll wager that your relationships are suffering as well. Don’t you want to have the physical, mental, and emotional resources to be your best in all areas of your life?
