Take. The. PTO. Your. Company. Offers. 

As we navigate life post-COVID, we must focus on our mental health and understand the importance of taking a break from our office. If you work a traditional 9-5, you are typically allocated a certain amount of hours each year to use as you wish. These hours can refocus your attention on old and new ideas, take a mental break after the busy season, or extend your weekend to enjoy a little more time with your family and friends during significant life events. Whatever the reason for wanting more than your average 2-days off per week, it is important you use that time to focus on the most important person, and that person is you. 

Taking time off during the year to enjoy life leads to less stress and a better outlook on your professional and personal life, and it allows you to gain more motivation to complete your goals. The ideology that working nonstop shows dedication and a positive work ethic is retired. Employers want employees who are happy with their careers, enjoy coming to work and contributing to their teams, and praise their employer for allowing them to enjoy their home life while excelling professionally. It's not a secret that happier employees result in long-term employees. After all, it costs more to hire a new employee than to appreciate the impact players you have now. 

I am a big advocate for mental health days and taking time for myself to perform at my best when working with my team on projects and daily tasks. I used to think the long hours you worked, the better your work ethic would be perceived to have. But, after years of hard work and excelling in my career, that's different. Rather than focusing on how many hours a day I spent working for my company, I reevaluated how I spent the time that I was paid to work. Even if you are a salaried employee, your salary is based on an 80-hour pay scale. This means you do not have to commit 24 hours of your life to your job to be seen as an exceptional employee and team member. 

It's all about time management. 

Acquiring good time management skills takes motivation which can sometimes be hard to obtain when working nonstop day in and day out. So if you are searching the internet for a reason to justify your much-needed time away from work, here it is. Take the time your company offers away from your work day to enjoy life, even if that means staying in your pajamas from 9-5 binge-watching tv. Your mental health matters, and you can only perform your best if you feel your best. 

Here are some of my favorite ways to spend PTO. 

• Staycations in your city: Take a long weekend (Friday-Monday) and spend Friday and Saturday exploring your city. You might find a new favorite dinner spot, see an old friend, or forget what your city looked like between 9-5. Plus, you will still have two days (Sunday and Monday) to decompress, relax, catch up on laundry, or prepare for the week ahead.

• The Ultimate Mental Health Day: If you asked me what my perfect PTO day consisted of, where I am just focusing on refocusing on myself, the day would look like this. A slow morning with a hot latte and taking the time to appreciate the silence of my (usually) busy home. Then, I would schedule some of my favorite guilty pleasures (hair appointment, manicure/pedicure, massage, facial) or take a trip to all my favorite local shops and splurge guilt-free on myself. I am a nap queen so I would find time for a midday nap and order dinner. Most importantly, I put my phone on do not disturb, set my out-of-office replies to my email, and appreciate the life I have made for myself. 

• Family Time: I am a soon-to-be aunt to a sweet baby girl this December. Spending time with her and my immediate family has become more of a priority the older I become. My favorite way to ensure I get family time in is to schedule a monthly get-together, whether lunch with my sister, a visit to my parents, or a weekend sleepover with my sister and her husband. 

• Late Starts or Early Finishes: There are no rules that PTO can only be used in 8-hour increments, and PTO can be used as you see fit. This means half-day Fridays, slow morning Mondays, or even used for an extended lunch hour to catch up with friends. Trust me when I say, a lunch with your friends in the middle of a day full of Zoom meetings can save your sanity.

How do you use your PTO, and what are some of your favorite ways to take a break from your Outlook calendar? 

*Be sure to check out my next blog about time management and how it has changed my productivity over the years.