Negosentro.com | How Taking PTO – Paid Time Off – Can Help You Get Ahead at Work | Are you constantly feeling like you work long hours but are never getting anything done? You may find yourself scrolling through social media or wandering to your pantry for your tenth snack for the day. Turns out, you may just need a couple of minutes away from your work to reboot your productivity. Not to mention, if you have paid time off sitting around waiting to be used, it may just be the right time to take it.
If you’ve ever taken a vacation where you’re able to unplug from everything, you may already know how this feels. You’re ready, and most of the time feel excited to get back to work and see your coworkers. You might even find yourself checking things off your to-do list faster than you could prior to your time off. If you’re contemplating taking some time off work for yourself, keep reading for five ways it could benefit you.
5 Ways PTO Can Benefit You
You may think passing up your vacation time and working overtime every week shows how hard of a worker you are. But, what if it could actually be hurting you? It could be affecting your personal life, and leave you burnout, decreasing your productivity. You may be physically at work, but not mentally there.
Especially during uncertain times, this may increase. Many of us are physically showing up, but maybe thinking about everything else in our lives while at work. Sometimes, all you need is a little time off to really tap into your creative side again. Taking time off can help you figure out what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and try new things. Keep reading to discover the five different areas paid time off can benefit you.
- Return to Work With More Motivation
Most of the time, when you come back from vacation you’re ready to hit the ground running. You may find yourself getting giddy about seeing your coworkers for the first time in a week or so. Not to mention, you may find yourself deep diving into your work. Before you know it, you have crossed everything off your to-do list without a sweat.
While you’re on vacation, ensure you’re actually taking your vacation. As over 62 percent of workers admit to working on vacation, try your hardest to disconnect. The payoff may just be more than worth it!
- Rest, Relax, Rejuvenate
If you’re a go-getter worker, this may be rather hard to even consider. When you’re on vacation, take time for yourself. Whether that may mean binge-watching a new TV series or curling up with a book, work on things that set your soul on fire. De-stressing can help you mentally and physically.
If you aren’t able to take a full vacation, consider incorporating walks, yoga, and journaling into your everyday routine. Take it a step further and add it to your work calendar to help keep yourself accountable.
- Give Your Creative Side a Boost
Oddly enough, you have to exercise your creative muscle. If you’re constantly streamlining your work process for too long, you may be shutting this off unintentionally. Get yourself out of your groove every once in a while and try something new. This could be something as little as cooking a new dinner or trying out a new coffee shop.
Next time you’re out and about trying something new (or relaxing) bring a notebook to store all your bright ideas. We’ve always had that one time you thought of something innovative, but you didn’t have anywhere to track it before the thought was lost.
- Choose to Take Care of Yourself
No matter what, you create your job, your job doesn’t create you — make sure you portray that. Choose to take care of your body over your work. If you’re needing to take a short break to tap into your creative side again, communicate that with your boss. More often than not, bosses have gone through the same thing and will help make accommodations.
Stay in one weekend and have a self-care day at home. This could consist of hot tea, yoga, a long walk, or even sleeping all day. Whatever you and your body are feeling, listen to it! When you don’t feel your best, you aren’t able to perform your best.
- Foster Healthy Relationships
It is pretty common for work and relationships to collide. If you’re overworking yourself and not able to show up for those you care about the most, it may be time to set some work boundaries. Communicate with your boss about setting these up, or budget to take time off to spend with your loved ones.
If you’re in need of a little reboot, we have outlined our best tips to ask for or take your vacation even when work doesn’t stop. If you aren’t able to fit a vacation in your budget, or get the time off, we provided easy ways to cope without a long break at work.
Check out Mint’s infographic on paid time off and how to boost your creativity, productivity, and even your wallet!
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