Our culture values hard work. It is where we spend a large chunk of our lives, and we want to give as much as possible to our careers. Yet recent research shows this may not be the most effective choice.
The average French worker takes double the vacation time as an American worker. In fact, most Americans don’t even use their full amount of paid vacation days, choosing instead to work through them.
It is counterintuitive to argue that working less increases your productivity. But, overtime working “binges” can lead to a lingering hangover effect that hurts your efficiency. Sleep deprivation, stress, and exhaustion resulting from working long hours can actually decrease your productivity. Instead, taking short breaks, getting sleep, and taking vacations can actually help boost productivity.
Human attention is limited. We don’t have the ability to work for hours and hours upon end. Research has shown that short bursts of attention punctuated with equally deliberate breaks are the surest way to harness our full capacity to be productive. Short sprints with scheduled breaks are more productive that resource draining, marathon work sessions.
Breaks improve job concentration and performance. In contrast, sleep deprivation and exhaustion can increase mistakes, and even contribute to a short fuse with coworkers. The benefits of relaxation are two-fold. Taking breaks such as daytime workouts, short afternoon naps, and vacation time, improves workers’ productivity, job performance, and overall health. In turn companies who have offered employees vacation benefits have higher productivity and lower turnover rates.
Whether you are an architect, IT consultant, or accountant, you face a significant workload. It makes sense you want to maximize your productivity. However, research indicates that it may not be the hours you put into your job, but how you utilize the hours. Quality over quantity. Which could be a great thing for your work-life balance.
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Source: Yahoo
