Americans are bad at taking vacations, but we’re getting better. In 2017, Americans surveyed by Project: Time Off reported they took an average of 17.2 days of vacation. American’s haven’t taken that much vacation since 2010. So why don’t we take vacation? There are a dozen reasons why, but there are even more reasons why you should get away from work more often than you do. You don’t need to take a week off each time you leave to get the benefits of going on vacation. Here are four things you can do to get the most out of your vacation days, and actually use them before you lose them.
- Lurking to do items
If part of your stress comes from the fact that the disposal in your kitchen sink has been broken for six months, the dog doesn’t have his shots, and you can’t make time to pick up the furniture that you ordered and has now arrived at the warehouse, you’ve got a to do list that is weighing you down. While this doesn’t seem like a good use of a vacation day, you are actually going to feel great once you knock a few things off that to do list that you never seem to get accomplished on the weekend. -Or literally can’t get done because the store/ location/ destination is only open from 10am-4pm Monday through Friday. Trust us, a weight will be lifted after you take some time to deal with the little things that add up, and eventually make your plate feel insurmountable.
- New Adventure
You do not have to book an outrageously expensive plane ticket to take an adventure. Do you remember the last time you were a tourist in your own city or state? We all have that friend that is great at packing up the car on a Saturday and setting out to explore. Call him or her and ask what day trip or long weekend trip you should take. Then, put a plan together. If you don’t want to have a plan for your time away, that’s okay too. We’re just telling you to get away for a long weekend somewhere new.
- Connect with friends or family
When was the last time you saw your best friend from college? Do you know how long it’s been since you spent the day with your niece or nephew? Taking off early on a Friday or spending a Monday out of the office will give you a little extra time to re-connect with people you care about, but never seem to find the time to see. Life is busy, that’s why you haven’t seen one another in ages. But remember the last time you saw each other, how much fun you had or how many laughs you shared? See, it’ll be worth taking a vacation day to make some more memories together.
- Really, really relax
Let’s say you bought a book for your last vacation, and you were having so much fun, you never cracked it open. Take a day off, and read that book. Or if reading isn’t your thing, and your Netflix/ Amazon Prime queue has been seriously neglected, take a day to veg out on the couch and catch up on your pop culture. Whatever activity or non-activity will provide you with the space to decompress, step away from your email, and truly take a break from work, take the day to do that.
The key to any of these suggestions is having a plan in place to actually take the day off and enjoy it. That means that you’re not spending the day tied to your email, or taking calls, or using your day off to get to work projects that you never seem to get to during the week. Use your day off for you, get in some relaxation in whatever form is most appealing to you, and make sure that you’re taking at least the 17.2 days of vacation the average American took last year. You can take a break at certain points in the year, no matter how busy you are. Your colleagues, bosses and clients will thank you.