Breaks Improve Productivity

Several years ago, Art, a friend's father and avid fisherman, visited New Zealand to enjoy their fabled recreational fishing . He discovered that everything in that country shuts down from noon Saturday to Monday morning. Thinking he was imparting great wisdom, Art suggested to a business owner that he could make many additional sales if he remained open on the weekend. The businessman looked at Art quizzically for a moment before replying "Why would I want to do that? I'd rather fish."

One of the things I love about Christmas is that, regardless of your religion, most everything is closed, forcing us to take a break from work. No one expects you to return calls or emails or be instantly available. It has become one of the very few days of the year where this is true. Thanksgiving used to be the other, but an alarming trend of stores being open Thanksgiving Day for early Christmas shopping began this year. Unfortunately, this trend generally escalates into more and more businesses being open in order "to compete", and pretty soon, it becomes just another work day.

Why is this important? Taking time off work restores us and affects your productivity, said James McCubbin, who chairs the psychology department at Clemson University. For instance, recent research indicates that people who take work home are less motivated and less likely to perform well the next day, said Thomas Britt, a Clemson University psychology professor. And people who are overworked are more likely to make mistakes, feel angry with their employers and resent their coworkers for not working as hard as they do. [Source: Learn to Take a Break by Heidi Cenac in the December 23, 2006 Independent Mail]

Schedule time off for yourself on a regular basis. If you feel guilty, remind yourself that it will improve your productivity.