{"id":816,"date":"2019-12-30T18:42:50","date_gmt":"2019-12-30T18:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advicoach1.wpengine.com\/slewis\/?p=816"},"modified":"2019-12-30T18:42:50","modified_gmt":"2019-12-30T18:42:50","slug":"the-argument-for-end-of-year-down-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/2019\/12\/30\/the-argument-for-end-of-year-down-time\/","title":{"rendered":"The Argument For End-Of-Year Down Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you take a vacation this year? The busier we get in our businesses the more important taking a break becomes. Especially if you\u2019re the type of business owner that works nights, weekends and holidays! The end of the year is a great time to fit a little down time. Often everything seems to slow down a bit and as the meme goes, we\u2019ve lost track of the day of the week and we\u2019re full of cheese. Personally, years ago I worked for a corporation that implemented a shut-down between Christmas and New Year\u2019s. I liked it, got used to it, and still do it now.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve put in some long hours during the year, so reward yourself by taking a day or two (or more) to yourself to take a physical and mental break.<\/p>\n

The Survey Says\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the Glassdoor\u00a0Employment Confidence Survey (Q1 14)<\/a>, the average U.S. employee only takes half (51%) of his or her eligible vacation time.\u00a0Of those employees that did take time off, 61% reported working while on vacation. Those statistics are for employees, who have someone pay<\/u> them to take time off! What do you think the statistics would look like for business owners?! It\u2019s common for business owners not to take time off or not as much as they should. Could your vacation also benefit everyone that works with you?<\/p>\n

Vacations Are Good For Your Health<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I first met one of my Connecticut clients, her main complaint about the business was that she hadn\u2019t taken vacation in 5 years (since the start of the business), hadn\u2019t gone to visit her kids, and didn\u2019t feel that she could take time away without things falling apart.<\/p>\n

Terry Hartig, an environmental psychologist at Uppsala University in Sweden told the Washington Post that when people go on vacation, they\u2019re happier and more relaxed. In his published study<\/a>, Hartig notes that in meeting work demands adults \u201cdeplete resources such as physical energy and the capacity to concentrate. Without sufficient time for recovery of depleted resources, workers may eventually suffer impaired cognitive function, emotional distress, accidents, illness, and other adverse outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are five reasons why take a break or vacation is good for your health and your business:<\/p>\n