Why you need to take a vacation.

The harder we work, the faster we climb, right? Not so. A Harvard Business Review article reports that people who use all of their vacation time have a 6.5% higher chance of getting promoted than those who don’t.

This, says Nan Russell, author of “It’s Not About Time”, is just one of many myths that exist regarding filling our days with busy-ness and getting what we want out of life. She’ll be talking on this topic in an upcoming free session in Fort Collins, debunking misconceptions such as these:

• Myth: the busier we are, the more important we must be. Russell will discuss how the best way to get more done may be to spend more time doing less. This includes employing strategic renewal strategies such as daytime workouts, short afternoon naps, longer sleep hours, more time away from the office and extended, more frequent vacations, all of which can raise productivity, job performance and health.
• Myth: we work harder than generations before us. Right now the average workweek is 47 hours. A century ago it was 70. In reality, we have much more free time to focus on our priorities than did our predecessors. Getting clearer on what we want out of life, and aligning our time to support that, can help us make better use of those hours.
• Myth: Our employer is the root of our work-life balance woes. Turns out that balance isn’t something an employer—or anyone—can bestow or withhold. The belief that we’re indispensable goes against research demonstrating that the majority of employers want us to use our vacation days (of which 429 million weren’t taken last year), and that we’ll be happier and more effective if we do. In fact, the upside of taking breaks from work lasts for as long as five weeks post vacay, including higher productivity and fewer stress-related ailments.

To learn more, join Russell’s session from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 27, at the Harmony Library, 4616 S. Shields in Fort Collins. No registration is necessary and the event is free to the public.

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