4 Scientific Studies That Prove All Leaders Need a Break

Take a Vacation

Traditions and non-negotiables are important for me. They should be important for you, too. My biggest non-negotiable is time with family. Starting this week, I’m continuing the annual tradition of going on vacation with my family.

Vacations Create Anchors

Traditions are important to any family because they are anchors. These anchors tie the family together. There’s less drift. There’s less turmoil. An anchor keeps you in the place you need to be — both literally and figuratively.

I tend to run at a very high RPM. This is my time to turn it down, recoup and relax (as much as a stereotypical Type-A possibly can).

Why you shouldn’t feel bad about taking a vacation

I used to feel bad about taking vacations. But I don’t anymore, and you shouldn’t either.

Here’s why:

• Less Stress: A study by the American Psychological Association concluded that vacations reduce stress. Similarly, a Canadian study of nearly 900 lawyers found that taking vacations helps alleviate job stress.
• Better Health: The American Journal for Medicine found people who took vacations were 32 percent less likely to die from heart disease than their counterparts who skipped vacations.
• More Productivity: An E&Y study found that people who took vacations were more productive. If an accounting firm saw value in vacations, I don’t know who could argue with that!
• Higher Performance: Athletes perform better with more rest (getting more rest even leads to better shooting percentages for basketball players). I’ll perform better with more rest.

I take a vacation so I can be a better version of myself for you, my family and friends. You should never be upset with someone who is trying to be less stressed, healthier, more productive and have higher performance.

And if you’re like the average American, you’re sacrificing 9.2 days of paid vacation every year to be more stressed, less healthy, less productive and perform worse.

Be a better version of yourself. Take a vacation. If you need me, I’ve still got an incredible team that is here to help.

Mahalo.

Originally published at dandoadvisors.com on May 22, 2017.