The Case Of The Missing Vacation
This is the time for daydreaming about your annual vacation. Sounds enticing. But when it comes to actually taking time off, a growing number of us become
downright ambivalent. ("Paranoid" may be more accurate.) Concerns about job
security creep in. If the boss can get along without me for two weeks will he decide
I'm not needed? What will happen to my projects when I am gone? Will my
colleagues undermine me? And there are large numbers of us who are addicted to
work. They'd rather work than be on vacation. The result is that almost one-third of us don't take all the vacation days we have
earned, according to Expedia.com, the online travel agency. Some 14 percent do not
take any vacation time at all. In addition, there's an army of men and women who are so hooked on their work
that they can' leave it behind. When they are supposed to be on vacation they are
not really on vacation. They stay connected to their work via the umbilical cord of
technology. Some 32 percent check their voice mail or e-mail every day away from
the job. It is the rare bird indeed who can be away from the office for two weeks
without checking in two or three times "just to see how things are going." Many
employers are enablers of this kind of behavior as they strive to get more work for
the same money. Instead of feeling refreshed by time away from work, hordes of us dread coming
back. We know the e-mails have piled up, the to-do list has grown and there is the
general catching up. There may have been shifts in the power structure. A Sobering Thought This sort of commitment to the job may be necessary in some cases, but there's no
escaping that it is often counterproductive. Efficiency drops off and workers' health
is put at risk during long periods of unbroken work. The Framington Heart Study shows that women who took two of more vacations a
year had a 50 percent lower chance of a heart attack than their counterparts who
didn't take time off. In the case of men, annual vacations reduce the odds by about
one-third. Your Vacation Guide The facts are clear. Time away from the job will improve your efficiency and help
accelerate your career. In the end, personal down time will benefit your employer as
well. Hopefully, you have the courage and wisdom to act on this axiom. You can help assure that your vacation times serve their best purpose by
establishing seven conditions, advised Ramon Greenwood, senior career counselor
at www.commonsenseatwork.com> 1. Come to grips with the fact that you are not indispensable. Nobody is. If it only
takes a few days off the job to demonstrate that you are dispensable, then you
probably are. If so, better to find out now and deal with it. 2. Reject the macho idea that long hours with your nose to the grindstone
demonstrate strength and commitment. What you produce at the end of the day is
what counts. The dumbest ox needs time out of the yoke. 3. Plan your next vacation in advance. Hold to the date. If your employer forces you
to cancel your vacation make sure there is a good reason. Absent a reason, consider
whether you are working in an environment that will nurture your growth. 4. Establish a plan to cover your responsibilities. Do work in advance. Delegate.
Advise those with whom you work of your plans and what you expect to happen
while you are away. 5. Leave a contact point where you can be reached with a "gatekeeper" who will
respect your time. Don't check in with the office. They'll call you if you are needed.
Don't panic if they don't contact you. Take satisfaction that your vacation plan is
working. 6. Flush work out of your mind. Put the components of your life in perspective.
Recharge your batteries. Read things totally unrelated to your work. Get plenty of
rest. 7. Be prepared to double your efforts when you return from vacation to catch up and
go ahead with your work. It's well to remember that there is no record of anyone wishing on their deathbed
that they had spent more time at work. Ramon Greenwood is former senior vice president of American Express; a
professional director for various businesses; a consultant; a published author of
career related books and a syndicated column. Senior career counselor for
http://www.CommonSenseAtWork.com>
MORE RESOURCES:
Defining yoga, one style at a timeCommon Ground, CA - 10 hours agoThat’s the philosophy that inspired Jivamukti Yoga founders Sharon Gannon and David Life, who developed the style in their Manhattan studio in 1984. ... |
Library offers beginner's yoga classLog Cabin Democrat, AR - 10 hours agoA beginner's yoga class is being held weekly at the Faulkner County Library. The class is on-going, meeting from 7 to 8 pm on Tuesdays. ... |
Beating stress with yoga in HCTimes of India, India - 6 hours agoNEW DELHI: Lawyers found a novel way to beat stress on Monday which saw Delhi High Court premises play host to a Yoga camp. Organized by the Delhi High ... |
Living Your Yoga: Seated pose brings tranquilityWashington Examiner, DC - 2 hours agoBy Kimberly Wilson Andrew Harnik/Examiner Welcome back to our ongoing series dedicated to living your yoga! This series explores yoga as a lifestyle through ... |
Do the Dog: Gallatin Pre-Finals YogaNYU Local, NY - 5 hours agoIn an apparent bid to keep students from turning to adderall and razor blades as finals approach, Gallatin is offering free pre-finals yoga this Thursday ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Mindfulness and Laughter: Gaining Clarity While Giggling
Life is funny.Throughout the day, there are plenty of humorous moments that we tend to ignore.
How To Put An End To Loneliness
Loneliness and separation are the real illness of our times. While we urgently need true communication, instead we often find withdrawal, games and lies.
Talk Yourself Out of Stress
Seventy-five percent of all our problems - both emotional and physical problems - come from the same source. If you could identify that source, would you want to eliminate it?For most people, the answer is obvious.
Ten Easy Relaxation Techniques
Stress is more than just unpleasant. It's dangerous.
Energy - How to Have More of It
Something the successful business person needs is - lots of Energy!
You need Brain Energy and you need Body Energy. However as with any other kind of energy, it's constantly being drained away and needs replacing.
The 3 Rs of Taking a Vacation Without Leaving Home
This summer, get away, without going away. Take a mini vacation right in your own home.
6 Ways to Release Stress
We are currently living in a capitalist society where money and power rule. Therefore, many of us have become workaholics and often overlook signs of tiredness in order to stay on track.
Social Phobia
Imagine going through your whole life in the constant fear of worrying about the others' opinion for you, saying only such things which might approve you in the peer group and scared to go out in the public to escape the scrutinizing eyes of the people.There are people who would rather prefer to stay at home for an endless time period than going out of their homes.
Seven Steps to Reducing Stress and Reclaiming Your Life at Work
According to the StressPulse survey by ComPsych Corporation completed at the end of 2003 and is still valid today:· Employees in the category of high stress have increased by 15%
· More than 29% of employees come to work five or more times a year when they are too stressed or distracted to be effective
· 63% have high levels of stress with extreme fatigue or feeling out of control
· 32% have constant but manageable stress levels
· 43% lose one or more hours per day in productivity due to stressThe Definition of BurnoutAt some point in your career you will experience burnout. No matter how much you enjoy your job there will come a time when you just do not feel like doing it anymore.
The Epidemic of the Eighties is Still Here
IntroductionTime magazine called stress the "The Epidemic of the Eighties". Stress is
America's #1 health problem.
How Stressed Out Are You? Take This Quiz And See How You Rate On Your Stress Level!
Stress, America's #1 health problem, is a leading cause of major illness. Heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression are just some of the harmful effects of stress.
Stress- What Is It?
Whenever we think of 'stress', negative thoughts come into our minds. Most of us believe that stress is similar to worries, tensions, failures, sadness, pressures, and what not.
The Physiology of Stress
In the body, the stress response is mediated by the hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axis, or the HPA-axis for short.When the body perceives stress, the HPA axis, along with the sympathetic nervous system, famous for its "fight of flight" response, are activated together.
Haris Stress Inventory
Conceptualizing stress: Stress often has a negative connotation. Failure, illnesses, distress are often marked as stress.
8 Practical Methods to Remain Empowered During Stressful Times
1. Acknowledge that requesting support, guidance and partnership is not the same as being needy.
Stress Management and Mastery: What We Can Learn from 9 Trapped Miners
Think back a few years to the nine coal miners trapped in a Pennsylvania mine and their rescuers.Do you remember that story?I thought the miners were goners.
Stress Management
Have you ever said the words, "This job/my life is so stressful!" Or something else along those lines?Most people believe that stress is something that happens in their lives. They believe it is the result of outside circumstances beyond their control.
Quick Steps On Handling Stress
Looking for some quick stress relief?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker, author and TV show host, who specializes in quick tips on how to move your life ahead even faster, offers the following advice.
How To Stress Less and Smile More-The Six Fundamental Steps To Improved Health
More than two-thirds of visits to doctors' surgeries are for stress-related illnesses. Stress has been linked to headaches, backaches, insomnia, anger, cramps, elevated blood pressure, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and lowered resistance to infection.
High Stress Means Low Self Esteem
Do you have the desire for a stress free life? Most people do. After all isn't this why most people are working so hard, to achieve just that? Sounds like a paradox doesn't it, "I'm working hard to achieve a stress free life"?Ironically, by the time you think you've gotten there, the "stress" you've endured as a result of all that work has likely taken such a toll on your health that you are not far from the end of your life.
|
