I know. I know. You’re too busy to take time off work.
That’s why you get to the end of every year and wish your company didn’t have a “use it or lose it” policy for vacation days.
I know because I’ve been in that situation too many times over my career.
But, deep down inside, I felt something I wouldn’t readily admit. Maybe you’ve felt it too.
Let me share the feeling I had and you can see if you relate. Then, I’ll share 5 reasons why it’s smart to take time off work and see how that matches up with what I was experiencing.
A dumb badge of honor
I bet you’ve had the same conversation I’ve had near the end of every year.
You’re in a group or talking one on one with a colleague and the topic shifts to how many vacation days you have left to use.
Some folks talk about how they’ve already used every one of them and enjoyed every minute of their time away from work. But, many people I’ve worked with have a much different story.
They talk about how they can’t possibly leave their job to take a day or two of vacation time. And, there’s now way they can take five days off in a row. Or a whole week? Forget about it. That would never work. And two consecutive weeks to take a really big trip somewhere with the family?
Impossible.
“This place would fall apart if they weren’t here. There’s just too much work to do.”
And, as the conversation continues, it becomes apparent that this person doesn’t feel all that bad about not being able to make use of the vacation days provided by the company. In fact, they’re almost boasting that they will have time off left when December 31 rolls around.
They wear their unused vacation days as a badge of honor.
And, in my opinion, unused vacation days are an incredibly dumb badge of honor.
Do you think I was too hard on the person I’m describing? Perhaps you’re right. But, it took that level of tough self-talk to get my attention.
Because I’m the one I’m describing. The feeling I had in the past when I didn’t take all my allocated paid time off was pride.
But, I’m always trying to learn, improve, and get smarter. And, I want to help you do the same.
If my self-description resonated even a little bit with you, I encourage you to consider these 5 reasons why it’s smart to take time off work.
And, I also encourage you to get your days of leave scheduled right now.
Before it’s too late.
5 reasons why it’s smart to take time off work
There are many more than five reasons why it’s smart to take time off work, but we can start with this short list to begin making progress.
1. You need to refresh and recharge.
I’m going to stick with the tough self-talk for just a bit longer. Because I have to continually remind myself of this and I expect you need the reminder too.
You need rest.
And, by you I mean me. And, everyone.
Our bodies and our minds are not designed to go flat out all the time. The amazing machines we humans are need down time. We need breaks and we need sleep (more than we will admit).
Sleep impacts our productivity and our mental health. I encourage you to check out Nishi Bhopal MD by clicking here. She is an expert on this topic as an Integrative Psychiatrist and Sleep Doctor.
And, you can scroll to the bottom of this post for a short video I found educational and helpful.
But high quality sleep isn’t all we need for good mental health. We also we need to take time off work.
I am not going to go into the research that proves we are more creative and more productive when we step away from our normal routine and relax, refresh, and recharge.
Why?
First, I think you’ve heard all the logical reasoning about the benefits of down time before.
You’ve seen the data and you’ve read the articles. You’ve probably even told your team why they need to take all their vacation days each year. You know they come back from their time off and perform at a higher level with a better mental state.
The problem is not in knowing we personally need to refresh and recharge. The challenge is in actually doing it.
And, that brings me to the second reason for not overloading you with more information on why you personally need to refresh and recharge.
I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite.
I personally struggle with admitting I need to rest and relax and take time off work. To simply give you more evidence to convince you may not seem sincere. And, it probably won’t convince you to do anything differently for yourself.
So instead, I’ll give you four reasons that motivate me to take my time off when I’m tempted to tell myself I don’t need them for me.
If you are better at serving others and putting their needs before your own, these reasons to take time off work might set better with you.
You’ll get the rest and recharge you need as a beneficial byproduct.
2. Taking a break from work sets a good example for your team.
I find it frustrating that I can know the right thing to do and encourage those on my team to do it. But, when it comes to doing the right thing myself, especially when it involves self-care, I am slow to the same action. And, I know I’m not alone because I’ve experienced the same thing from a previous manager.
Let’s go back several years when I was early in my career.
I had a well-meaning manager stop by my desk when I was working well past normal working hours. With the best of intentions, he kindly, and strongly, encouraged me to head home and be with my family. I appreciated his advice and asked if he was on his way out. His reply? “No. I’ve got some work I have to take care of first.” I bet you can guess what I did.
I followed his example, not his advice, and kept working.
We all know others emulate the behaviors they see in us much more than they follow the advice we give them. The old adage, “Actions speak louder than words” has been proven true over and over.
So, if you believe it’s in the best interest of your team members to take time off work, it’s critical you show them you truly believe it by practicing what you preach.
Just as my manager unintentionally communicated that I needed to work late to be successful, not taking our own vacation days communicates that others shouldn’t either.
And, this doesn’t just apply to those who report to you. Those who are watching your example because you’re successful and they admire you as a kind and confident leader are watching your every move.
If you don’t use your vacation days, they won’t use theirs either.
And, I don’t think that’s what you really want for them.
So, I encourage you to serve your teammates by taking all your paid time off.
You’re not being selfish. You’re caring for those you are leading.
3. Your time away provides your team with opportunities to grow.
Taking time off work serves your teammates in another way. When you’re gone, others have the opportunity to grow.
You are providing value to your organization in many, many ways. In fact, you are likely doing even more than you realize.
To find out all the ways you are adding value to your company, I encourage you to take time to complete the exercise I recommend in the post on role clarity, “Build A Strong Foundation For Role Clarity By Knowing Your Tasks“.
Whether you have created a written list of all the tasks you are doing or not, the fact that you are doing them means someone else isn’t.
So, by taking time off work and using your vacation days, you are creating opportunities for others to do something you typically do.
Your days off are a great opportunity to give one of your team members the chance to try something new for a short, limited period of time. They can have a trial run with a task they have been wanting to explore. Or, you can give them a new responsibility and see how they perform.
This often doesn’t happen as naturally and as cleanly when you’re still in the office. But, when you’re out for a few days, there’s a unique situation created.
There is a clearly defined period of time for the person to take on a new task. And, it’s obvious the assumption of duties is temporary. Because, when you return from vacation, you will resume responsibility.
But, if you return and find that this new task was a perfect fit for your temporary replacement, you’ve created an environment to have a natural conversation about whether this change should be permanent.
Your vacation days can not only help you, but they can give your teammates opportunities to take their careers in a new direction.
So, I encourage you to view your time away from your normal duties as a proving ground for those you are helping to develop.
But, you may need to do some preparation work to make this most successful. This leads us to the next reason it’s smart to take time off work.
4. Being absent will reveal gaps in your processes.
As you consider asking a developing teammate to take on some of the tasks you normally do, you may be unpleasantly surprised.
You may realize as you start to explain what you actually do that you’re not all that clear yourself.
For many of us, we do much of our work without documented processes or procedures. We just do it and don’t always have the Standard Operating Procedures that would make having someone else do our work a clear and smooth transition.
But, if you plan in advance, you can correct this shortcoming.
Selecting certain tasks to be done by specific teammates in your absence will force you to communicate your expectations clearly.
How exactly do you do your job? What is the step-by-step process others should follow to do the work as successfully as you do it?
Hopefully, you have formal, written documents that are easily accessible by your entire team. But, let’s be honest. Most organizations aren’t performing at that level of operational excellence.
Taking time off work provides you with the motivation to make your organization better.
You don’t have to document every task you’re responsible for. Although that is an important and worthy goal for everyone in your organization.
Your time off work can be the catalyst for a small, yet meaningful level of improvement.
Taking time to document the most important tasks you are asking someone else to cover for you while you’re gone is a good investment in making your team better.
But, you don’t have to do this before you leave.
You can wait until you’re on the beach relaxing after finally putting your work responsibilities behind you. And, then you can answer your phone.
With the sand in your toes you can explain to your coworker back at the office how to do that thing that only you know how to do.
I definitely don’t recommend that option.
Instead, invest time to find the gaps in your processes and documentation BEFORE you take time off work.
You will enjoy your vacation more, your teammates will be positioned for success, and your organization will improve.
5. Time off reminds you there is more to life than work.
I know you know this last point, but I’ll say it out loud so we can both hear it.
There is more to life than work.
But, it’s so easy to forget this when we’re consumed by the urgent and important tasks of our job.
However, when you do step away and spend time with your loved ones or you do something you truly enjoy on your own or even do nothing at all.
Then, when you’re not in the middle of all the pressure of work, don’t you remember there is more to life than your job?
I know I do.
When we introduce space between ourselves and the daily demands of our workplace, our minds and our bodies are able to sense and feel different blessings in the world. Being away enables us to appreciate what we are tempted to ignore when our career circumstances distort our perspective on life.
No matter how much you love your career and the people you have the privilege to work with, there are rich and rewarding experiences for you in a different environment.
And, your vacation days give you the opportunity to experience the benefits life offers outside the place where you earn a paycheck.
I encourage you to consider what is truly valuable to you and pursue those things with confidence. And, you don’t need to feel ashamed or guilty when doing this.
Taking time off work doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate or value your occupation or your employer.
It means you are smart enough to recognize there are equally valuable, and even more valuable, elements of life to appreciate and enjoy.
Take time off work. You’ll be glad you did.
I hope at least a few of these five reasons why it’s smart to take time off work were meaningful for you.
And, I hope they really do cause you to get away from your workplace even if you don’t use all your vacation days this year. If you can just use one more than you used last year, that’s progress.
If you’re like me, it’s not easy to change. And, as I admitted, my pride can get in the way of doing what is best for me, my team, and my loved ones. That is, intentionally planning and using every vacation day I have.
You may struggle in similar ways. If so, know you’re not alone and you have someone on your side encouraging you to do what you know is right.
Take time off work. Invest in yourself and you’ll be investing in your team and your organization at the same time.
And, have a little fun while you’re at it.
Let’s lead with kindness and confidence.
Greg
