Why You Should Take More Time Off from Work

A vacation is not only relaxing, but it can increase our productivity and creativity-if done right.
People usually think that they have to “earn” their vacation — that they have to work hard, even push themselves, before they actually take a break.

Research shows that leisure is an important predictor of our well-being and life satisfaction, including our health, work engagement, creativity, and even marital satisfaction.

1. Vacation is relaxing. We often take vacations to relax, but do they really work? Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco have looked into this issue extensively: they have studied the effects of spa vacations and meditation on biological measures of stress and immune function. The data showed that not only does a spa holiday make us feel more energized and less stressed than before the holiday, but it also results in strong and immediate effects on molecular networks associated with stress and immune function. Participants who attended the meditation retreat also showed an increase in antiviral activity.

So choose your favorite pastime: surfing in the sun and hanging out in a cabana, or sitting on a zafu and doing yoga.

2. Breaks make you more productive. Another personal and professional benefit of a vacation is the opportunity to take your mind off work.

Psychologists believe that the inability to distract from work is accompanied by symptoms of burnout, which, of course, affect well-being and productivity. However, psychologists believe that not working when you’re not at work makes us more resilient in the face of stress, more productive, and more engaged at work. Even a short weekend getaway can provide significant recovery from the stress of work, while longer trips provide even more relief.

After a vacation, 65% of people say they are “rested and happy to be back at work”. It’s a win-win for both employees and organizations, especially given the fact that unused vacation costs American businesses $224 billion a year.

3. A change of pace boosts creativity. Another professional benefit of taking a break from work is increased creativity. In all countries and industries, executives rank creativity as the most important trait of all new hires. However, researcher Kyung Hee Kim, author of The Creativity Challenge, has shown that we are facing a dramatic “creativity crisis” where creativity scores drop significantly in younger generations. Here again, more vacations and leisure can help.

Many workers tend to specialize in their field and are unable to explore new areas or diversify their interests. However, research shows that exposure to new and varied experiences actually boosts your creativity. For example, one study found that going out into the countryside while disconnected from all devices for four days — a very unusual experience these days — resulted in a 50 percent boost in creativity.

Brain research shows that doing nothing, idleness, daydreaming and relaxation create alpha waves in the brain that are the key to creative insights and innovative breakthroughs. And research by Dr. Barbara Fredrickson has shown that positive emotions — those we experience during a relaxing and playful vacation — make us more creative and able to think outside the box.

When planning your free time, keep in mind that all leisure activities are not the same. A scientific study that compared different leisure activities found that spending time with friends, exercising and relaxing significantly improves your well-being, while other leisure activities, including browsing the Internet and watching TV, do not; in fact, they lead to a decrease in life satisfaction. This means that your sofa is not necessarily the best place to relax.

Depending on your age and gender, different types of leisure activities can contribute to well-being, but for people of all ages, leisure activities such as visiting friends and family and going to church are positively associated with well-being. -Existence. In later life, for example, social activities seem especially important. This conclusion makes sense, as a large and growing body of research shows that the degree of our lifelong social connection significantly improves our physical and psychological health and even our lifespan.

When should you schedule your free time from work? Some of us are so good at delaying gratification that we constantly put off vacations, thinking we can enjoy a “well-deserved” vacation later — after we write a report, finish a big project, or get a promotion. But that doesn’t have to be true: A new study shows that fun times are still fun no matter what, and we enjoy them equally intense whether it comes before or after hard work. In addition, the professional and personal benefits we get from free time can help us succeed at work.

So plan your vacation right now. Better yet, don’t get carried away with too much planning. Another recent study shows that spontaneous leisure activities are more beneficial than planned ones. So let your hair down, play on your hook, and relax from time to time. Summer is still ahead, so enjoy!

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