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.

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    我这会儿正在疯狂地赶稿，讨论休假的好处，目的是能够休假一周，带家人一起外出。所以，这究竟是个讽刺，还是给我应得的惩罚？

    我是一名记者，关注职场话题已经十多年了。我读到过无数的研究文章，都说离开办公室待一段时间能提高创造力、精力和效率。但是，和大多数职场人一样，我发现要完全放下工作（将上述研究付诸实践）很难。

    毕竟，我们生活在一个吝啬度假的文化当中。在经济政策研究中心（Center for Economic Policy Research）研究的21个发达国家中，美国是唯一一个不要求雇主提供带薪休假的国家；从人人都是工作狂的日本到人人工作轻松自在的法国，其他的国家都要求每年10-30天的带薪休假。Expedia在2012年进行的一项研究发现，平均而言，美国人14天年假真正利用的天数甚至还不到2天。

让大脑休息一下

    人人都同意，未来的工作需要解决问题的能力和创意的方式。那么，为什么我们坚持认为，增加伏案工作时间能把工作做得更好？

    实际上，研究早已显示，人们每周工作35-50个小时的时候，生产力达到顶峰，具体情况取决于工作架构和类型。福特汽车创始人亨利•福特同意设立每周工作40小时的标准自然有他的道理，因为福特的内部数据显示，延长工作时间不会显著提高生产力。

    然而，增加休假时间却可以获得双倍效果。《实验社会心理学杂志》(Journal of Experimental Social Psychology)发布的、由印第安纳大学(Indiana University)研究人员在2009年进行的研究显示，与一个问题保持一定的空间和时间距离（换言之，也就是休息一段时间），能够提出更富创意的解决方案。这项研究的依据是心理距离理念，它对于为棘手问题寻找新方法很有意义。

有益健康

    当我意识到，我在本周早些时候曾花费10个小时时间研究和报道一篇本应只花我5个小时时间的文章，我开始怀疑，我的工作效率和创造力是否急需提升。解决良方是休假！

    相比缺乏创造力和效率低下，更悲惨的是有可能突发心脏病或早逝。

    2000年一项针对13,000名中年男子的研究发现，连续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，纽约州立大学奥斯威分校（State University of New York）的研究人员发现，死亡和心血管疾病的风险也会更高。

    女性也不例外。2005年，研究人员发现，相比两年多才休假一次的女性，每年至少休假两次的女性出现抑郁的概率较低，婚姻满意度更高。这项研究的成果发表在《威斯康辛医学杂志》（Wisconsin Medical Journal）上。

家庭时光

    我必须承认，我有一点恐惧休假。除了担心回家之后要做的一堆事情，我也不像整整八天，每天24小时为我的孩子们做饭，跟在他们后边搞卫生。我享受在安静办公室里度过半天的时间，给自己准备午餐。

    But research published in January by Kelton on behalf of the Walt Disney Co. found that quality time increases to 82% of time spent with children on vacation, as compared with half of the time at home. Moreover, 97% of parents report sharing something new about themselves with their children while on vacation, and 54% say the whole family is more affectionate, according to the survey.

    My solution: a job chart for the kids and a firm intention to share the workload, so that the Lewis family can join those happy survey takers reporting more relaxation while on vacation. Remarkably, my children loved the idea and have already planned out the chores for the first two days. Hopefully my health will benefit enough by the vacation to withstand the days when they are planning the meals, which I'm sure will be pancakes, pizza, and nary a vegetable in sight.

Checking out

    Our brains and bodies need downtime every day, in the form of rest and sleep, so we can face the next day with fresh reserves of mental and physical energy. But we also need periodic breaks longer than a weekend to recover from day-to-day stress and restore ourselves to optimal function. Just catching up on sleep makes a big difference.

    As I've been reporting this story, and the hours tick down to the time when we depart, I've felt my stress level grow. That's probably as good an indication as any that it's time to send it to my editor and head for the hills.

Editor's note: Katherine reviewed edits to this story on her second day of vacation, but promised to completely unplug after that.

    但今年1月，Kelton代表沃尔特-迪士尼（Walt Disney Co.）刊发的一项研究显示，与孩子们一起度假的时间中高品质时间比例高达82%，而在家度过时间的比例仅为一半。而且，调查显示，97%的父母表示，在度假时会和孩子们共同分担一些新东西，54%的父母表示整个家庭关系更加融洽。

    我的解决方案是：给孩子们列一份工作清单，分担任务。因此，我们路易斯一家可以像那些幸福的受访者一样宣称度假更加轻松自在。令人高兴的是，孩子们也喜欢这个主意，还为最初两天的家务活做好了准备。希望休假能给我的健康带来足够的裨益，足以承受他们准备的食物。我很肯定他们的食物就是薄饼和比萨饼，连蔬菜都看不到。

出发

    我们的大脑和身体每天都需要休息，从能以崭新的精神和体力面对新的一天。但我们也需要比周末时间更长的阶段性休假，借此摆脱日常的压力情绪，重新恢复到最佳状态。就算只是补个觉也会大不一样。

    就在我写这篇文章的时候，出发的时间越来越近了，我感到压力倍增。或许说明我确实该把文章发给编辑，出发去休假了。

编者按：本文作者凯瑟琳休假第二天查看了编辑的修改稿，但承诺接下来会完全放下工作。（财富中文网）