Make Time for Vacation

Because despite the small number of vacation days per year, one in six employees (roughly 18%) is so overworked that she or he is unable to use up annual vacation time, according to a 2001 Oxford Health Plans survey reported in USA Today. Do you have surplus vacation time that you haven't been able to use up because you're so busy?

The Curse of the Overworked American

Gen-Xers really need a vacation, according to the Hilton Hotels Corp's Generational Time Survey, a random telephone study of 1,220 Americans by research firm Yankelovich Partners. They found that 77 percent of Generation Xers (born 1965-1975), more than in any other generation, say they need a long vacation because of the pressure and stress of their daily lives, according to the survey. The youngest group, Generation Y (born 1976-1984), is nearly as eager for a vacation (73 percent), followed by baby boomers born 1946-1964 (68 percent). Mature Americans (born 1930-1945) are the least likely to need a vacation (47 percent), perhaps because they're also the least likely to say their lives are stressful (49 percent). Overall, two-thirds of Americans say they could use a long break. Why don't we take it?

My guess is that in our society today, being constantly available to your customers (who might well be your co-workers) has become the battle cry. But a study conducted by the New York-based nonprofit Families and Work Institute suggests that many U.S. workers may be working too hard, leading to more mistakes on the job, neglected personal relationships and higher health-care costs. In the study, 46 percent of respondents said they felt overworked in one way or another, 24 percent of U.S. workers said they spent 50 or more hours on the job each week, and 22 percent said they worked six to seven days a week.

The feeling of being overworked is not solely because of the number of hours spent working. When you feel pressured and pushed, when you feel not respected, when you feel tension at work, or when you feel the work that you do isn't of real value, that leads to overwork. The also survey found that those who said they felt overworked were more likely to neglect themselves and less likely to feel successful in their personal and family relationships. But so much of this is self-imposed. I've talked to a couple people who literally lost their families because of overwork, just to have their jobs downsized. I've known workers who have canceled vacations, or sent their families on ahead to theme parks or the beach, while they stayed behind to work. Mind you, a lot of these folks genuinely love their work. They don't mind working hard because they get recognition for it. But when a sudden change in leadership throws them for a loops, they find that their family lives and friendships have been neglected and their usual support systems are thus in tatters. It's just not worth it.

Dr. Alan Muney, chief medical officer at Oxford Health Plans, says that, "Vacation is not frivolous behavior; it's essential to staying healthy and productive. Regular vacations are preventive medicine-they cut down on stress-related illness and save health care dollars." Overworked employees can lead to drastic on-the-job consequences. They are more likely to look for a new job, to feel angry with their employers and to make mistakes. In the Oxford study, 17 percent of respondents who said they felt overworked said they often made mistakes at work, compared with only 1 percent of those who said they did not feel overworked. So when I hear people brag that they haven't had a vacation in five years, I'm seriously unimpressed.

How to Go on Vacation

If you're convinced that you'd better do yourself, your co-workers, and your family a favor by going on vacation, the next question is how are you going to do it. That might seem like a silly question, but seriously, some people tell me they take a vacation just to accomplish all the things they can't do while they're at work. That's not a vacation! You don't get recharged, refreshed, and rebooted unless you actually get away from the office and into an environment that's conducive to relaxation. Here are some tips:

• Leave for two weeks. If you only go for one week, your co-workers and staff will hold things for you "until you get back." If you're gone for two weeks, it's more likely others will do it themselves since it can't wait that long. It takes three days just to unwind and another three days just to ramp back up before returning. So challenge yourself to get bored on your vacation. Be gone long enough to ask, "What is today, anyway, Monday or Tuesday?"
• Limit or eliminate your contact.* Te objective here is to get a psychological break from work that will recharge your batteries. Don't think you are oh-so-important that you have to tune into the office every day. You're not really as indispensable as you think you are. If a bus hit you tomorrow, the work would still get done. And if you are that irreplaceable, I would point out you're not developing your next replacement properly, so you could get a promotion. So get the right people to cover for you and forward your calls. Put an auto responder on your email that you'll be gone until (x) time and so-and-so is available to respond to immediate needs. If you MUST be in touch, limit your time to set hours such as 8:00 to 10:00 AM, and then enjoy the rest of the day. If you spend your vacation worrying about clients, prospects, and computers, you aren't really taking a vacation.
• Enjoy yourself. Go ahead and eat those desserts you would typically avoid. Spend money on things you wouldn't normally buy. Stay out later and sleep in later than you normally would. Take the dinner boat cruise and take the water-skiing lessons. Buy souvenirs and clothing and treasures of the areas. Look at those expenditures as investments in your emotional health.
• Always have the next trip planned. Coming back from vacation is depressing. Try to allow for it with an extra day before you go back to work, because you might have the blues. I know when John and I return from our annual Hawaiian excursions, I'm always commenting, "This time last week I was on the beach." Then plan another trip. Put a date on the calendar, because if you don't, it won't happen. Buy plane tickets and schedule around it. Start planning and getting excited.

When my three-year-old James is fussy, I tell him, "You're grouchy. It's time for you to take a nap!" Similarly, you might need to lovingly tell a colleague or a friend it's time to take a break. If your significant other tells you to take a vacation, take it seriously and don't shoot the messenger. Your friends and family may have a point, and your productivity and happiness depends on you listening.

Make it a productive day! ™

ANALYST: Corporate cultures outdated. Sacramento Bee - Sacramento, CA, USA. It inspired adherents at regional and Fortune 500 companies with time management, leadership and productivity. -more-

MANAGING: Consensus leadership is a fad beginning to fade.
Ben Leichtling, East Bay Business Times. -more-

FINDING enough time to exercise. Torrington Register Citizen - Torrington, CT, USA. Many time-management experts advise people to work smarter, not harder, by working more directly and consciously to attain the most important priorities. -more-

The 1st Annual Productivity Pro® Summit
with Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, The Productivity Pro®
(in person)

Click here to register.

Want to leave the office earlier? Would you like to be able to schedule your day in an uncontrollable workplace? Do you want to be able to find any piece of information in thirty seconds or less? Would you like to reduce interruptions? Is your email inbox overflowing? Would you like to be able to concentrate in a distracting environment? Do you need a greater balance in your life? Would you like to make the best use of every minute, every day? Do you never seem to be able to get through your to-do list? Would you like to lower your stress level? If you want to build any of these skills, then you need to join Laura for an intensive two-day workshop on mastering your personal productivity!

Workshop Description

While other "experts" provide training on single topics like stress management, time management, and getting organized, this is the first workshop to neatly and simply summarize the most important personal productivity factors into one course. Geared for busy, overloaded employees, this training is the authority on how to increase output without increasing effort. Get to the heart of why you experience logjams at work-and abolish them once and for all! This workshop explores the ten key factors that improve output, lower stress, and save time in today's workplace. The main purpose is to teach you how to more productive and effective during the day, so you can stop working late hours, increase your results, and lead a more balanced life!

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 7, and Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2004
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: The Bridge Center, Lone Tree, Colorado
Nearest Airport: Denver International Airport
Information: Call 303-471-7401 or email John@TheProductivityPro.com.

Tuition: Your investment for this intensive two-day workshop is only $295 per participant or $245 when enrolling three or more individuals for the same workshop.

Registration: On-line registration is preferred. Or you can download, print and fax the enrollment form (PDF) to 303-471-7402 with credit card information. You can also mail a check made out to The Productivity Pro® to 9948 S. Cottoncreek Drive, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130. You will receive a written confirmation of your enrollment.

Objectives:

• Discuss the Causes of Overload in the Workplace
• Find Out if You Are a Workaholic
• Discover Your Energy Prime Times
• Learn Why Multi-Tasking is Unproductive
• Uncover the Most Important Ten Minutes of the Day
• Discover Little Known MS Outlook Tricks That Will Amaze You
• Track Pending Items Without Piles
• Determine if Your Stress Level is Affecting Your Productivity
• Discover the Importance of Diet, Exercise, Quiet, Leisure, and Sleep
• Sort, Process, and Filter the Vast Amounts of Information From Others
• Control and Prevent Unimportant Interruptions From Others
• Speed up Decision-Making Processes in Your Group
• Recognize and Relate to Different Work Process Styles of Coworkers
• Schedule Your Day in an Uncontrollable Environment
• Focus on Highest Value Activities and Eliminate Unnecessary Activities
• Eliminate Crisis Management Caused by Coworkers
• Create Systems and Processes for Repetitive Tasks
• Reduce Time Spent in Trivial Meetings
• Discuss a Multitude of Innovative Ways to "Create" Time
• Establish Boundaries Necessary to Regain Control of Your Workday

Who Should Attend
Executives, managers, sales representatives, support staff, and other professionals who work long hours and feel overwhelmed by work volume, information, and projects.

Participant Materials
You will receive the text Leave the Office Earlier (written by Laura Stack and published by Broadway Books) and a 100-page workbook for use as a job aid and reference manual.

No Substitution or Cancellation Fees
Participant substitutions are permitted at any time prior to the workshop. If cancellation occurs ten or more business days prior to the workshop, a full refund is available. If you cancel fewer than ten business days prior to the workshop, we will gladly issue a full credit for future public or in-house workshops.

Other Information:

• This will be a very interactive, roll-up-your-sleeves, learn new skills workshop. You will be bringing a pile of paper you don't know what to do with, your time management system, a list of your files, and a sample weekly schedule.
• You must agree to complete the pre-work prior to attending, which you will receive after registration. You will be completing a time log, some reading, and the 100-point Productivity Quotient (PQ) assessment.
• To keep costs down and accommodate dietary needs, participants will purchase their own meals. Beverages will be provided.
• You will walk away with your own self-improvement action plan.
• Format includes lecture, small group, large group, role-play, individual exercises, partnering work, and quizzes.
• Dress is business casual. We recommend you bring a sweater or light jacket due to room temperature fluctuations.