This year, 1 in 7 North Americans aren't going to even have one, even though we're entitled to take one.
What am I talking about? Vacations. According to the experts at Psychology Today, Americans work harder than any other culture, putting in 100 more hours than the Japanese and three months more than our European neighbors!
So what's keeping us from our well deserved down-time? First of all, with the economy the way it is, just getting a long weekend can be a challenge.
Joe Robinson, author of WORK TO LIVE GUIDE TO GETTING A LIFE, says that once we talk our boss into giving us a few days vacation, we feel guilty and don't really get away from it all mentally. And the whole point of vacations is to get away from the everyday routine and stress so your body AND your mind can recharge. That, Robinson says, takes a minimum of two weeks straight. What to do?
- First don't take any of the office tools with you. And never take a call from work. If you're so indispensable that they can't go a week without you, you deserve a raise.
- Next, throw away the mental yardstick you use to measure what you "DO" each day. Vacations are times to "DO" nothing at all.
- Also, think about what you love doing, then plan a vacation around that love.
- And remember how to linger. Over dinner with a friend is an excellent place to start.
