Do you want to increase your productivity? Take a holiday!
Rachel Wright, Director of Executive and Professional Development, emphasises the importance of taking a break to boost productivity, after returning from a recent holiday in Japan.
Recently, I took a two-week holiday – no checking emails, no looking at Teams and no messages to my team to make sure all was well – and yes, that took some effort to switch off! It was the best thing I have done in years. I returned to work feeling refreshed with a new perspective and I was more productive.
I wondered why I did not do this more often – why is it so hard to take a real break from work? It turns out I am not alone. It is a worldwide issue that is only getting worse.
I don’t know if you are like me, but when you see your holiday dates fast approaching, you start feeling a sense of dread. You have so many things to do before you leave that you start questioning why you thought a holiday was a good idea, to begin with. Before long, you start accepting that it will be easier to keep working while on holiday so you can get that big pile of stuff done.
It turns out research shows that is a big mistake. Not taking a break over an extended period makes you less productive. Ironically, taking more than 10 days holiday gives a 30% more likelihood of a larger raise, and you are much happier in your job. Mmm – so if you take many 10-day breaks, does that mean you get an even bigger raise? I suspect there is a happy middle ground here….
Taking a break doesn’t mean going on some global cruise or visiting somewhere exotic; research shows that just a few days completely disconnected from work in a different environment result in you being more productive and creative when you return to work – especially if you spend some time in nature. Yes, watching the waves crash on a beach for a few hours can make a difference back in the office!
You may be wondering why taking a holiday and a break from work makes a difference….It is pretty simple. It frees up your brain to take time to relook at the world around you. Fundamentally, this results in you being more creative and productive.
Now that I have been back at work for more than a month, I am wondering how I can bottle up that feeling I had when I first returned and not return to my old habits of work, work and more work.
It is time to book that next holiday!
