Take time for well-deserved R&R
Many people don't take vacations often enough. In fact, according to a recent poll on about.com, around half don't take annual vacations; in fact, many working folks never take them!
Sadly, many in our hospitality industry fall into that last category. The reasons are well-known and understandable. Many establishments are family-owned and -operated, and getting away is difficult. Owner-workers have cut staff to the most efficient minimum, and schedule themselves for more-than-full-time hours. The only vacation time some tavern folks take during the year is to attend the Montana Tavern Association convention.
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But now is a good time to enjoy the nice weather Montana doesn't seem to provide enough of.
And it's also a good time to recharge your batteries for what's to come. The general election is set for Nov. 2, and industry work will begin in earnest shortly to tackle election issues and decisions. In addition, legislative battles await in January, and industry leaders will be calling on everyone to get involved and help out.
Much has been written about the healthy habit of keeping one's life in balance between work and play. It doesn't have to be a two-week bash in the Bahamas (though that'd be nice). Get out for a day trip or two, or a long weekend. Take off and enjoy a bit of the Montana hospitality that you provide everyone else.
Take a day and go fishing, all day. Take your boat (or better yet, take a friend and his boat) out to the lake this weekend. Then visit one of your hospitality-industry colleagues.
Trust your hired help. Things won't go in the tank when you're gone. If you're honestly afraid they might, maybe it's time to find new help.
Still not committed to some R&R? Here are seven reasons, according to about-com, to find time to relax.
1) Vacations Promote Creativity: A good vacation can help us to reconnect with ourselves, operating as a vehicle for self-discovery and helping us get back to feeling our best.
2) Vacations Stave Off Burnout: Workers who take regular time to relax are less likely to experience burnout, making them more creative and productive than their overworked, under-rested counterparts.
3) Vacations Can Keep Us Healthy: Taking regular time off to 'recharge your batteries', thereby keeping stress levels lower, can keep you healthier.
4) Vacations Promote Overall Wellbeing: One study found that three days after vacation, subjects' physical complaints, their quality of sleep and mood had improved as compared to before vacation. These gains were still present five weeks later, especially in those who had more personal time and overall satisfaction during their vacations.
5) Vacations Can Strengthen Bonds: Spending time enjoying life with loved ones can keep relationships strong, helping you enjoy the good times more and helping you through the stress of the hard times.
In fact, a study by the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services found that women who took vacations were more satisfied with their marriages.
6) Vacations Can Help With Your Job Performance: As the authors of the above study suggest, the psychological benefits that come with more frequent vacations lead to increased quality of life, and that can lead to increased quality of work on the job.
7) Vacations Relieve Stress in Lasting Ways: It should come as no surprise that vacations that include plenty of free time bring stress relief, but research shows that a good vacation can lead to the experience of fewer stressful days at least five weeks later! That means that vacations are the gift to yourself that keep on giving.
Well, there you have it. So do yourself, and those around you, a favor and take some time off. Come back refreshed and better equipped to tackle the important business that awaits.