A recent study suggested that those who are successful, more productive and therefore more creative (I will assume) could be linked to those that actually take their holiday, ensuring they having free time from work pressures and deadlines.
I am aware that I am guilty of being the type of person who works all the hours, is diligent and dedicated (I hope) to the point where you cancel holiday to attend last minute client demands, pitches or just to help out the team. I also recognise that in reality, this is not good for oneself, or the team.
I once had 42 (forty-two) holiday days waiting to be taken. Obviously I needed a break as I had been working non stop for almost nine months (typically 14 hour days, six days a week) with only a few days around Christmas as a mental break. Why? High expectations and no additional resource due to budgets — a story familiar to many, I’m sure.
Yes, I was silly and in hindsight I was less productive as the weeks passed, but the project was a success.
Afterwards I needed a break: I was mentally, creatively and physically exhausted (too tired to even play football!). So I really enjoyed a whole month off, which coincided with the Football World Cup, so all was good!
What did I learn? That we all need to take a break and the more often, the better.
Take more than two days (called weekends) or those long awaited bank holiday weekends as it’s now autumn (September to January) and we’ve started the hardest season to get through, I believe — from a London perspective that is.
Without taking any extra time off you’ll be working non-stop in the darkening, typically damp days and weeks leading up to Christmas Day, three long months without a real mental break. No surprise we can suffer from depression — Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — and we are less productive and less creative in our out look. Do we all become worker drones, eager to clock out as soon as possible whilst dreaming of sunny beaches?
In a recent Wall Street Journal article [Link1] it’s been found that people who take time off are actually less stressed, more focused and more productive. Great. So should we get more days off in these modern times?
In the UK we are lucky (almost all of us) to be legally entitled to 28 days paid annual leave (bank holidays typically are included). More than our friends in the USA, I discovered! But is our working day longer than when this allowance was set? Does this realistically reflect our modern, constantly connected working life?
Couldn’t we, shouldn’t we in the creative industries get more days?
How can we be creative only between nine and five, five days a week? We can’t, I have yet to find the off switch for thinking, seeking and doing creative things. It’s a 24/7, 365 type of (dis)ability.
Imagine, more time to explore, open our minds and allow space for sparks of creativity to happen. When has anyone returned from a week or more away and not been refreshed, excited and eager to brace the opportunities ahead?
How about we have extra three day weekends, one a month, on top of our bank holidays (eight days) and our twenty days per year? I propose 40 days to reflect how a modern industry works and what clients expect, because it’s not a physical activity doesn’t mean you will be exhausted, stressed and wrinkled before your time.
I’m off to propose doubling our annual leave in this positive light and I hope you’ll plan some extended breaks soon, don’t become SAD.
Originally posted on The Gild a London and New York creative agency.
