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So what's your vacation got to do with
the bottom line? Everything, say industrial
psychologists, but that fact doesn't seem to have
penetrated very well in corporate America. The majority
of people still take work with them on vacation, in one
form or another, and more than 25 percent of corporate
people don't take any absolute down time at all. So,
what's the problem?
It's a little like sleep deprivation,
according to physicians and psychotherapists. Just as
lack of sleep impedes your ability to think clearly and
act decisively, lack of playtime keeps you from taking
in information effectively and seeing the totality of a
situation. Lack of sleep and play both have a negative
impact on your reflex time, general resilience and
ability to ward off infection. Recreation deprivation
also makes you cranky, and often more than a little
critical of the people in your organization who do have
the good sense to take care of themselves.
The bitter irony is that the
vacation-deprived usually think they're doing everybody
a favor by continuing to work themselves to the brink of
exhaustion. But the reality is that they're costing
everyone -- their co-workers, their direct reports,
their organizations, their families and themselves. Work
addiction is an insidious thing. Like other addictions,
you usually have to bottom out before you can summon the
courage to change.
If you haven't had at least a week
with no work to do, you're undercutting not only your
own health, but also your organization's bottom line. Is
that your intention? Take a break. Get a car
loan. Buy a new car. The people around you
will thank you.
Do not forget first
aid kit while you travel. Knowing
how to treat minor injuries can make a difference in an
emergency. First aid
kits also important in your day to day life. If you have these basic supplies you are
better prepared to help your loved ones when they are
hurt.
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