休假就得不插電

????我這會兒正在瘋狂地趕稿，討論休假的好處，目的是能夠休假一周，帶家人一起外出。所以，這究竟是個諷刺，還是給我應得的懲罰？

????我是一名記者，關注職場話題已經十多年了。我讀到過無數的研究文章，都說離開辦公室待一段時間能提高創造力、精力和效率。但是，和大多數職場人一樣，我發現要完全放下工作（將上述研究付諸實踐）很難。

????畢竟，我們生活在一個吝嗇度假的文化當中。在經濟政策研究中心（Center for Economic Policy Research）研究的21個發達國家中，美國是唯一一個不要求雇主提供帶薪休假的國家；從人人都是工作狂的日本到人人工作輕松自在的法國，其他的國家都要求每年10-30天的帶薪休假。Expedia在2012年進行的一項研究發現，平均而言，美國人14天年假真正利用的天數甚至還不到2天。

讓大腦休息一下

????人人都同意，未來的工作需要解決問題的能力和創意的方式。那么，為什么我們堅持認為，增加伏案工作時間能把工作做得更好？

????實際上，研究早已顯示，人們每周工作35-50個小時的時候，生產力達到頂峰，具體情況取決于工作架構和類型。福特汽車創始人亨利?福特同意設立每周工作40小時的標準自然有他的道理，因為福特的內部數據顯示，延長工作時間不會顯著提高生產力。

????然而，增加休假時間卻可以獲得雙倍效果?！秾嶒炆鐣睦韺W雜志》(Journal of Experimental Social Psychology)發布的、由印第安納大學(Indiana University)研究人員在2009年進行的研究顯示，與一個問題保持一定的空間和時間距離（換言之，也就是休息一段時間），能夠提出更富創意的解決方案。這項研究的依據是心理距離理念，它對于為棘手問題尋找新方法很有意義。

有益健康

????當我意識到，我在本周早些時候曾花費10個小時時間研究和報道一篇本應只花我5個小時時間的文章，我開始懷疑，我的工作效率和創造力是否急需提升。解決良方是休假！

????相比缺乏創造力和效率低下，更悲慘的是有可能突發心臟病或早逝。

????2000年一項針對13,000名中年男子的研究發現，連續五年未休假的人比那些每年至少休假一周的人罹患冠心病的可能性高30%。此外，紐約州立大學奧斯威分校（State University of New York）的研究人員發現，死亡和心血管疾病的風險也會更高。

????女性也不例外。2005年，研究人員發現，相比兩年多才休假一次的女性，每年至少休假兩次的女性出現抑郁的概率較低，婚姻滿意度更高。這項研究的成果發表在《威斯康辛醫學雜志》（Wisconsin Medical Journal）上。

家庭時光

????我必須承認，我有一點恐懼休假。除了擔心回家之后要做的一堆事情，我也不像整整八天，每天24小時為我的孩子們做飯，跟在他們后邊搞衛生。我享受在安靜辦公室里度過半天的時間，給自己準備午餐。

????Is it irony or poetic justice that I'm frantically working to finish a story on the benefits of vacation so that I can take my own week-long break from work with my family?

????As a journalist who has covered workplace issues for more than a decade, I've read countless studies about the boosts in creativity, energy, and productivity that come with time away from the office. And yet, I find it just as challenging to truly unplug -- and put the research into practice -- as any other working stiff.

????After all, we live in a stingy vacation culture. The U.S. is the only one of 21 developed countries studied by the Center for Economic Policy Research that doesn't require employers to give paid vacation time; from workaholic Japan to laid-back France, the others mandated between 10 and 30 annual days of paid vacation. A 2012 survey by Expedia found that, on average, Americans don't even use two of the 14 annual vacations days allotted.

Giving your brain a rest

????The jobs of the future will demand problem-solving skills and creative approaches to work, everyone agrees. Then why do we keep thinking that more hours at a desk will lead to better work?

????Indeed, research has shown that people's productivity peaks when they're working between 35 hours and 50 hours a week, depending on the job structure and type of occupation. There's a good reason Henry Ford agreed to a 40-hour workweek standard: Ford's own internal data showed that additional work hours didn't meaningfully improve productivity.

????This goes double for vacations. A 2009 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology by researchers at Indiana University found that when you have physical distance and temporal distance (a.k.a. time off) from a problem, you're able to come up with more creative solutions. The research builds on the concept of psychological distance, which is important for finding fresh approaches to a thorny problem.

To your health

????When I found myself earlier this week spending 10 hours to research and report a story that should've taken me five hours, I started to suspect that both my productivity and creativity were in dire need of a boost. Recipe for a vacation!

????Even scarier a fate than being dull and inefficient is the prospect of heart disease or an early death.

????A 2000 study of 13,000 middle-aged men found that those who failed to vacation for five years in a row were 30% more likely to experience coronary events than those who took at least a week's vacation every year. In addition, the researchers at the State University of New York, Oswego, found an increased risk of death and cardiovascular disease.

????Women aren't immune, either. In 2005, researchers found that women who took at least two vacations a year were less likely to be depressed and reported higher marital satisfaction, compared with those who took time off from work less than every other year. The study was published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal.

Family time

????I must confess that a small part of me has been dreading the vacation a bit. In addition to worrying about all the work waiting for me when I return, I haven't been looking forward to cooking for and cleaning up after my children for 24 hours over the course of eight days. I enjoy having half the day to myself in a quiet office and fixing lunch just for myself.

????.