They lost $50K by doing this

Did you take all of your vacation days last year?

Do you have a plan for taking them this year?

I recently helped a client see that they had left over $50,000 of their compensation on the table because they did not take ONE day off last year, they worked a ton of weekends, and most weeks they clocked 50+ hours.

$50,000 would fund some pretty spectacular lifestyles or sweetly cushion your savings account.

Paid vacation, paid time off, whatever you want to call it– it’s part of your compensation package.

Think about it: Would you work for 4 weeks without being paid?

When my client added up all the holiday time and weekends they had worked, they were really shocked at the mess they had created for themselves.

But they’re not alone.

If you tie your value to the number of hours you work, you will never feel good enough.

Or when you feel like you HAVE to work because it has to get done, right?

Of course, some of us work in roles in which calculating billable hours is part of our compensation. But even in these situations, we need to get clear about the risk-reward ratio of what we want.

As a human being, your value and worth are priceless.

Too often, I see clients confusing the value they bring to their careers with their own self-worth.

They’re checking their title. They’re measuring what’s in their bank accounts. And only then do they feel they have enough information to determine their worth.

When your value and worth are derived from outside sources, you will always be chasing them.

The downward thinking spiral begins. Comparison, self-judgment, feeling less-than.

So you work harder to keep up. You give up nights and weekends. You give up holiday time.

And then everyone is surprised when you burn out.

Have I just written a little story of your life?

Listen: Your boss is unlikely to pop by your desk or send you an email reminding you about your vacation balance.

And a gentle reminder for those of you who have unlimited PTO but haven't taken many days off--when you leave or if you get downsized there's no pay-out for those unused days. That's the whole point of this type of benefit, is you don't accrue vacation time so there's no cash value.

Just like it’s on you to make sure the cash arrives in your account every 2 weeks, it’s on you to make sure you take those vacation days.

Every January I look at the year ahead and block off the weeks and days I plan to take. Sure at times I pivot and don't take those exact days - but I have a plan and I am making sure I don't burnout.

It’s early June now, so you’ve got lots of time to plan out how you want to use your vacation days this year.

I’m thinking of a beach getaway later this summer and maybe a trip to the American SouthWest in October.

Take your time off. You are worthy of rest.

See you at the beach!