If you’re not getting enough time off work, it’s time to change that. Here’s how.
Workaholism is a lot less popular than it used to be. Concepts like work-life balance and YOLO (you only live once) are now widespread. Research shows that working too many hours equals productivity loss.
As an entrepreneur or business leader, you’ve likely heard the message by now: Too much work is bad for your health, your effectiveness, and thus your company. Further accounts from real entrepreneurs support that message.
How much work is too much? Fortunately, science and experience have provided a simple answer to this question, one you can put into use starting today. I call it the 1-2-48 rule. (There’s a lot more about work-life balance and the brain science of overwork in my book Career Self-Care.)
Take at least one day off every week
If you spend the weekend catching up on tasks you didn’t finish during the previous, and then start the following week without having had a break, that’s a recipe for lost productivity, research shows. I’ve tested this on myself. Several years ago, I interviewed a productivity expert who told me it was important to take at least one full day completely away from work out of every seven. He said taking a complete day off was a more effective way to take a break than taking two partial days off.
I’ve followed that advice ever since. Barring a true work emergency, I always take at least one full day off work every week, even when there are seemingly urgent tasks nagging at me to get done. For me, that usually works out to doing some work on Saturday and none at all on Sunday. That expert was right. I return to work on Mondays more grounded, more productive, and with a better view of what needs to be done. That’s because when you take your focus away from work, that gives other parts of your brain time to process and problem-solve.
Research suggests that more time off is better. A full two-day, or even three-day weekend might bring even more benefits, both for you and the people who work with you. But, at a minimum, make sure to take one day completely away out of every week. Like me, you may find that brings serious productivity gains.
Take at least two weeks off every year
Americans notoriously take less vacation time than people in many other developed countries. Japan just beats out the U.S. as the country where people take the least vacation time. Even though our vacation allotment is lower than in most other countries, many Americans don’t even use the vacation time that they have.
That’s a bad bargain, both for yourself and for your employees. Research suggests that people who are vacation deprived are likelier to suffer heart attacks and depression, among many other ill effects. If you don’t have a plan to take time off this year, get one in place now. Then make sure your employees do the same.
Work no more than 48 hours a week
Stanford researchers found that 48 hours is the maximum you can work in a week without losing so much productivity that you’d get more done if you worked fewer hours. If you’re working 50 or 60 hours in a week, there’s a good chance you’re wasting your time. No entrepreneur or business leader can afford to waste time.
If you’re working longer hours than that, start looking for ways to cut back. Are there not-really-essential tasks that you can skip or put off to the future? Are there tasks you could outsource or delegate to someone else on your team? And do you have people who work for you for these long, long hours, and are they losing productivity too? It may be time to start setting some boundaries around work time, for both you and your employees.
Will you try following the 1-2-48 rule? Your health, your mood, your relationships, and your company will all benefit if you do.
