Today, Wed. July 5 is Workaholics Day.   While most of us are not workaholics, many of you do work too hard!

I hope everyone took yesterday off to enjoy with your family and friends.  If you didn’t take any time off, you might be in the “work too hard” category!

Do You Take Time Off?

I recently read an article that indicated half of Americans who get paid vacation time won’t use all of their days off.

According to Quentin Fottrell, “Millions of Americans are giving their vacation days back to their employer.”

A survey by Glassdoor found the average U.S. employee who receives paid vacation has only taken about half (54%) of those days in the past 12 months.  If an average worker who receives two weeks vacation leaves five days on the table, they’re effectively giving hundreds of dollars back to the company.

Now you might be the boss and own your own company and feel that days off are a luxury and there are no paid days off.  I get that!

Benefits of Time Off

There are benefits of taking time off.  Here are a few:

• You are more relaxed and refreshed when you return and can be more productive.
• It is good for your health.  People who take vacation use less sick days.  A USTA Study found that men who don’t take vacations are more likely to suffer from heart disease, while women who don’t take time off are more likely to suffer from depression.
• Stimulates creativity and out of the box thinking.
• Meeting new people and having new experiences help make you a more rounded person.

So regardless of what type of job you have or whether you are a boss or an employee or self-employed, it is important to take time off to relax and recharge.

If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I practice what I’m preaching.  I work hard, and I relax and recharge.

Stop Working Too Hard

Are you working too hard?  If the answer is yes, make changes now to improve your life and your business.

Let’s celebrate Workaholics Day by making sure we do not become one of them!