The benefits of taking a break

I just returned to New York City, and the National Jeweler office, after a sunny week off spent on the New England coast.

HCHannah Connorton hannah.connorton@nationaljeweler.com

I’m an avid fan of vacations, likely instilled in me by my family. From ski trips in Maine to beach houses on Rhode Island’s Block Island, we’ve always escaped for a few weeks out of the year to relax, unplug and spend time together. As I got older, I’ve incorporated trips with friends into my plans each year, and since the start of my career I’ve always used each and every vacation and personal day I was allotted.

For me, there’s often a mix of emotion upon returning from time off: first, the melancholy feeling that accompanies knowing the vacation has ended, that it’s time to leave that work-free, responsibility-free oasis and return to the grind.

But it’s always followed by a second feeling: eagerness. Eager to get back to routine, to work, to the gym. Eager to settle back into the swing of things, to feel productive again.

There’s been talk in the news for some time now about how Americans don’t take advantage of their paid time off, often because they dread the slew of emails, projects and other tasks that accumulate and lie in wait for when the employee returns, or because of their visible absence. Sometimes, it’s just company culture; other times, employees see it as a way to protect themselves from layoffs in the post-recession era.

But does skipping out on time off pay off in the end?

Maybe not, it seems.

There’s a bevy of research that points to the fact that not taking vacation actually harms productivity, much of it citing that it hurts brain function and can even affect us outside of work, encroaching on personal relationships.

An article published by CBS Seattle earlier this month profiled an Oregon tech startup that says its implementation of a 32-hour work week has helped to boost employee productivity. The CEO, Ryan Carson, told the publication that reducing work hours and putting an emphasis on work-life balance allowed more time for workers to have “light bulb” moments of innovation, which keeps the company competitive.

“No matter how much money I made or how powerful I get, I can’t buy time,” Carson told the news station.

While I can’t speak to why taking time off makes the greater population productive, I know that for myself, it helps to jumpstart that eagerness to feel constructive again.

I believe taking breaks in smaller increments

Banner will be right here …

of time each day--in other words, not eating lunch at your desk--also is beneficial to productivity, as does our Editor-in-Chief, Michelle Graff.

“I read this list of the habits of productive and successful people and one of the habits is taking a half-hour or an hour off at lunch,” she says. “I’ve taken to doing this a couple of days a week--I get lamb over rice and a Coke from one of the food trucks outside (the National Jeweler office) and sit in Zuccotti Park--and I think it works. I come back feeling refreshed and actually get more done.”

Aside from the evidence that taking time off helps employees do their job better, I also think stepping away from work is good for the soul.

Traveling, relaxing, spending time with family and friends (or alone if you prefer)--that, in my opinion, is what brings true quality to life.

Hannah Connorton