Did you know that 56% of the work force does not take advantage of their vacation time at work? I recently went on a much needed vacation to northern Minnesota. I struggled with disconnecting from work and the guilt of not being there if something important came up. But, when I got back I felt refreshed and much more motivated to do a great job. Did you know that going on a vacation can actually promote creativity, productivity, rest, relaxation and can even improve your performance at work?
According to a Careerbuilder survey, more than half of workers say they work under a great deal of stress, and 77% say they feel burned out on the job. Research shows that it takes up to three days to relax when you go on vacation and longer vacations (seven days or more) are associated with better psychological outcomes than shorter vacations.
Not only does going on a vacation provide you with wonderful benefits, it provides your co-workers with opportunities they normally would not have. If you are anything like me, you find it hard to step away because of the desire to be needed, to answer client questions and to do a great job. Well…you might be surprised at how smoothly things run when you leave! Taking a vacation allows your co-workers and employees to step up and show what great employees they are. As long as you help them succeed as much as possible by preparing before you go and passing over everything that you think of. Also, trust that your employees will get the job done right and don’t check in on them every minute.
Here are a few tips I have learned to enjoy your vacation:
1) Put it on the calendar and remind everyone you know when you are leaving and when you will be back. This will help your co-workers and boss mentally prepare for you to leave and you won’t feel guilty when you are running out the door.
2) Turn off the work email. The one thing I did for my vacation is disconnected my work email on my phone so I couldn’t access it. It was such a great idea and felt so great to disconnect for a few days!
3) Make sure you have an out of office message on your phone and email. If you don’t, you will wish you would have!
When you get back from vacation, don’t worry if you have thousands of unread emails! Call the person that took your place while you were out and in just 5 minutes you will find out everything you need to know to get through your first day back. I also recommend scheduling an extra day off when you come back so you can dive back in slowly and not overwhelm yourself.
by Guest Blogger Anna aka Classy Career Girl.
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About the author: Classy Career Girl is a Consultant by day and a MBA student by night. She blogs about her journey through business school while working full time and loves to research and write about career advice, work-life balance and stress management. You can read more about her journey on her website http://www.classycareergirl.com and follow her on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/classycareer.
Photograph courtesy of Classy Career Girl.
Or check out holiday decorations in your nearby city or town, by foot. If you didn’t learn during the height of the pandemic that walking is good for stress and your soul, it’s not too late. You can even refer to this activity with a fancy name, 
In most dorms, the bed and desk will take up the bulk of the floor space, but you can bet there will still be plenty of room on the walls. Over-the-door shoe holders are great for storing your favorite footwear, and they can also double for storing other objects. 
Taking the time to put together organized drawers will save you so much room in the long run. Using acrylic bins is a great way to turn this idea into a reality! You’ll have a specific place for everything, which is the best way to keep your space clean. Make time at least once a week to tidy up your room so that you can ensure the space stays clean. 
Drawers are ideal for dealing with dorm room storage. They keep everything out of your way, but they don’t take up a ton of space. In fact, if you need to, you can even get separate storage cubes and stack them all up. Either way, using several drawers is a fantastic way to store everything. 
