Take A Vacation, Ya Over-Stressed Jamoke

The data tells the story.

Man, I used to write about the idea of a work vacation a lot. To wit:

• Americans leave 430 million paid vacation days on the table annually
• Take a vacation, good sir
• Stop getting on the cross about never taking a vacation, you overworked dipshit
• Research proves the value of taking a vacation

I probably stopped writing as much about the work vacation idea when I went freelance. Freelance is weird in the sense that you can take a vacation whenever you want, and/or you are essentially never on vacation. Hard to describe to outsiders. I digress.

Now we’ve got some more research on the value of a work vacation, but first we need to frame up the issue. That won’t take long.

Why is taking a work vacation even an issue?

Pretty simple. See:

• Many people like to position themselves as “work martyrs”
• It’s very important to be seen as “busy”
• Work is largely about a quest for self-worth

At that intersection, a work vacation fades slowly into the background. “What if Johnson jumps me in the hierarchy and I lose my…