Work to Live or Live to Work

The Vacation Time Dilemma

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

I haven't taken a vacation since I graduated college and started working two years ago. My longest breaks have been a couple of long weekends. I'm thinking about taking a week off and going away with my girlfriend, but the idea of leaving the office for that long stresses me out, and I'm worried that I would miss a big development in one of my projects while I'm gone, or get passed over for a promotion or something. Have I completely lost it?

Sincerely,

Gimme A Break 

A:

Dear Gimme A Break,

Europeans have always understood the importance of vacations as part of life and the balance between work and vacation. Americans have always been primarily ambitious and have put work ahead of the rest of life. Many Japanese industries have integrated personal life into work. And Europeans, for the most part put work behind the rest of life. 

Deciding how to live your own life is a personal decision, but if you don't want to have any regrets, it's good to live consciously. If your career is more important to you than any other part of your life, than vacations are only good if, and when, they rejuvenate you and refresh your mind and body in order for you to come back to work more productive than ever. I'm a big believer in vacations as a part of good work. 

If you hate work, and only work to support your personal life, then you'll want to take your vacations as often as possible because they'll give you more life and less work. Even if you don't travel, and just take the vacation time to "vacation" at home, you'll be enjoying your life as much as possible. 

If you are interested in balancing your work and your personal life, then vacations are great because they mark quarters of the year or "semesters" of the year and remind you where you are in your work -- and your personal life. Company retreats are a great way to combine work and personal life, as are industry retreats to tropical islands or mountain getaways so you can combine work and vacation. 

In all three of these instances, getting out of your house and your own head by going somewhere new, on a vacation, is a no lose proposition, and can even be a big win for your personal life, your health and your work and productivity at work.

 

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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