Why you HAVE TO use your vacation days

Are you one of those who will work till you drop? Who won’t even take a day off when you’re feeling ill? Or you are one who will only take time off work for travel? You might be in the category of workaholics who forget to breathe? This blog post is for you. Hopefully by the end, it will be quite clear why you have to use your vacation days.

I’m a big believer of using your vacation days and taking some time off work for yourself. Now, I understand this might not apply to everybody especially if you are not in a structured 9-5. However, I believe that even if you work for yourself or you’re freelancing or contracting, time off will ALWAYS be essential.

This post will highlight 10 reasons why you have to use your vacation days. Although most points are tailored to those with 9-5s, there is a reason in there for everyone!

1. It is there for you to use

The most obvious reason is that it is right there and available to use at your disposal. It is not something you have to conjure up ideas to figure out a tangible reason, it is a part of your allowance. When you start a job, you are most likely given a contract. In this contract, it tells you all the job expectations, company policies etc. Within the same package, your holiday entitlement is stated which buttresses the point that it is part of your contract. In most offices, it is actually mandatory to take 5 or 10 consecutive days off as part of business management.

2. It Is free

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Imagine waking up late, avoiding those long commutes in rush hour, watching Netflix all day but STILL getting paid? Are you kidding me? You are basically getting paid to do nothing. There has to be some sort of joy that comes with not going into work but still getting that pay at the end of the month. You know, that feeling of doing nothing but knowing it is not going to affect your bag? LOVE IT!

There are scenarios where your company might allow you buy holidays (mine allows a maximum of 5 extra days). However this is if your allowance is not enough for whatever holiday you might have planned. The usual number of holidays you are assigned is FREE!

3. For happiness and enjoyment

This is my favourite reason why you have to use our vacation days. Please who does not like enjoyment in this life? Most of my vacation days, I spend doing what I love which in turn, makes me happier. This does not mean that your job isn’t making you happy or whatever, this isn’t about that. It is about that quiet peace, the tranquil vibe and the happiness you feel from enjoying your life. In my case, that would be the happiness I derive from travelling with Mr E. Or just catching up on life, it could be trying something new like I’ve been learning to ride a bike. I know!! How cooooool haha!

 

Related:

10 Reasons to Travel with your Partner

 

4. To recharge

They always say to stop and smell the roses. Using your vacation days enables you to step away from your daily routine. It means you can go away to refresh yourself; which will in turn lead to a more productive work life. That time away from work actually helps with your input at work in the long run. You are able to come up with things you might not have thought about in your normal, everyday routine. The reason why you have to use your vacation day is to avoid burnout. The luxury of being able to re-energise cannot be emphasised enough.

5. Health and Wellness

The way the work environment is set up, it is most likely fast paced and sometimes even stressful. Using your vacation days and taking time away from your desk helps to rest your eyes. It helps to reduce your stress levels; it gives your wellness some much needed balance. Over working yourself without vacation days can put a strain on your health.

6. Spend time with family and loved ones

It is easy to forget about what really matters when you are working day in, day out. I don’t know about you but my family life and social life are quite important to me. Therefore, taking time off work to spend time with family and friends will always be a welcome idea. Maybe to visit family who you probably can only visit during weekdays when you’re not at work. What is more fun than spending time brunching or having a gossip over a cuppa with your friends? Nothing I tell you! So take some time off work to catch up with your family and friends, you will thank me later!

7. It won’t hurt your chances of a raise (or even a promotion)

This is a valid fear tbh. I have heard this a few times from so many people in corporate jobs. They don’t want to take a week off for the fear that when appraisal approaches, it could affect them. Basically, having a boss who thinks that going on holiday means you are not serious. Therefore, when it is time for a pay-rise or promotion, you’d be denied. Now, that would be cruel and in fact, you should not be working in such a team. As long as you are not taking the piss with your holidays, you should be fine. Give ample notice in line with what your office policy states and make sure you clean up your outstandings before any time off.

I always advice that in the corporate world, it is not enough to be a hard worker but you have to be a smart worker. Make sure you work smart and are being recognised when you do something exceptional. Shout your wins and be bold with your suggestions. If you are fantastic at what you do, taking time off work will NOT ever hurt your chances of a pay-rise or promotion. Trust me, I should know. Your presence is actually felt and hopefully, they miss you when you are away!

8. Helps stimulate your creative mind

Most people have other passions. Perhaps, it is gardening, interior decorating, travelling, fashion etc. Using your vacation days allows you to totally shut down from work, which means you can reflect on other things. Especially if you have a side gig or you’re entrepreneurial, this is the time to harness that opportunity. Sometimes, weekends and evenings are just not enough because you could have other engagements. So for total focus on your side thing, those vacation days come in handy!

As a full time career girl and a full time blogger, my vacation days are very essential. That time off allows me think up new ideas for my blog and how to build a long lasting brand. Even if I’m not going away on holiday, I take days off to sit home and work on my blog. If I can get time off from my paid job to work on my other day job, why not?

9. Creating Memories

I feel like every aspect of your life is what makes you as a human being. You know, the work life, the social life, the vacation life, the passionate thing you love doing in life etc. All these come together in connection to form who you are. So imagine going through life and not fulfilling one aspect of your life because you don’t want to use your vacation days!

In order to create the best life memories, you need to try to live a full life. How can you live a life full of memories you are creating? By taking every opportunity you can which includes your vacation days. Yes, that’s right!

 

Related Posts:

Retracing our London Wedding | My Favourite Travel Memories 

 

 

10. Prevents your company from rethinking policy

This one is funny tbh. Imagine the team not taking time off for a whole year. You are entitled to 20 days off, the team members take around 8-10 days each and output is 100% more than expected welppp!! Your boss might start to think that perhaps, you don’t need all that time off allocated and in the next year’s plan, 20 days get cut down to 18 days. I have never seen or heard of this done anywhere but I’m letting my imagination run wild here.

In Concluding…

If you follow me on my social media profiles – Instagram and Twitter, you won’t be surprised that I’m preaching this. I am constantly hinting at why you have to use your vacation days all the time. Even with the pandemic, the fact that we were unable to travel out of the country did not stop my preaching. I understand most people were working from home so it was weird to take time off work just to sit home. But like I have mentioned, it does not matter whether you are travelling abroad, sitting home or meeting with friends. Just Use Your Vacation Days!

Until next time my lovelies…

Bisous, ‘Bugo!

Pictures were taken on a beach day in Santorini, Greece!