Work Smarter Not Harder.....

I read an article in the newspaper today that talked about "How to negotiate more time off from work". I thought this article was interesting but dangerous. Now I may be beating a dead horse by saying this, but we are in one of the worst economic periods of our generation. The real reality is that while you are thinking about how you can sneak some more vacation time in, someone has had their share of a long-term vacation a.k.a. Layoff and are ready to get back to work because bills don't take a vacation. We must have an "attitude of gratitude" and begin to be thankful for the jobs we have and stop trying to weasel our way out of work.

In the spirit of GTD "Getting Things Done" I have come up with some suggestions about "working smarter not harder". What defines a "Vacation" is a matter of perception. Instead of trying to take off all the time let's start to work towards becoming more efficient in the workplace hence alleviating stress at work. During the day I work for a large non-profit, I like to tackle heavy projects at the early part of the day so that once it gets close to 5pm I'm on cruise control. When you overload yourself your mind will tell you the only way to alleviate the stress is to take a vacation. I believe "Mental Vacations" can be more helpful to the body as a whole. These types of vacations can come from a number of places for example; Try walking around your office building instead of being couped up in the break room at lunch time. Another idea you could implement to "Get Away" mentally is to try visiting your favorite retailer during lunch to daydream. It could be that new TV you have always wanted, or about something else you are saving up to purchase. Maybe you could visit a car dealership and test drive the latest model car.

It can be helpful to place the goal you want to accomplish from the work in front of you to change your outlook on how you are feeling about your job. When we put the vision in front of us we realize that we don't have time to waste trying to get out of the work that is allowing us to meet our needs. However you don't have to be near retirement before you can think about a vacation. There are a number of ways to disconnect at your job all while getting paid and staying employed.

I have found that the more time away from the office I get, the more I get behind on important work. This breeds frustration, which turns into the stress, hence canceling out the purpose of the vacation I just took in the first place. Just my two cents.