4 Bad Excuses for Not Taking Your Vacation Days - The Muse

4 Bad Excuses for Not Taking Your Vacation Days - The Muse4 Bad Excuses for Not Taking Your Vacation DaysHeres a non-negotiable fact We humans need rest from everything we do, including work. And while I strongly believe in taking short breaks during the workday, Im not talking about that. Im talking about actually using your paid time off. Gasp Of the employees in the U.S. who receive this benefit as part of their compensation package, over half dont take full advantage of it, often leaving unused PTO on the table at the end of the year.Because even though we know vacations are good for us, were often full of excuses as to why we rarely (or never) take one. Well, good news Im here to put an end to the following excuses today.1. You Feel Guilty LeavingLet me tell you something about vacation guilt. Most of the time, its a wasted emotion. Were meant to feel it when we actually do something wrong, like side-sweeping someones car and not telling them. (Yes, thats wrong.) Instead, we fee l this way whenever we think about leaving the office. Heres the thing Theres absolutely nothing wrong with using those days. Theyre yours. You have a right to them. In fact, by not using them, the average person donates $561 to their employer each year. Thats your moneyAnd thats why feeling badly about taking them is like feeling badly about eating the fries that come with the burger you ordered. Eat those dang fries. 2. Youre Saving Them Just in CaseI used to hoard my PTO just in case I needed it all near the end of the year. After all, you never know when someone will invite you on an all expenses paid trip, you know? Ill let you in on a secret, though. I ended up never using them. Each time I moved onto my next job, I left almost all of them behind. Sure, I got paid out once. But the other times? They were just gone.It makes sense to save them when you know of events youll need to use them for- holidays, weddings, binge watching the new season of Queer Eye. But if you have some left over, what are you saving those for?So, get out your calendar and abflug scheduling out any unused (and unspoken for) days. Make a plan for them. And sure, if you want to save a few for peace of mind, Ill allow it. 3. Theres Too Much WorkThe truth Either you have poor time management skills, or theres an unreasonable amount of work on your plate. Take a hard, objective look at yourself. Could it possibly the former? If yes, its time to get your act together and figure out how to be more productive. Not just for the sake of your vacation days, but also so you can be a badass employee. If its the latter reason, though, then you need to have a conversation with your manager. Everyone in your company should be able to take time off without everything falling to pieces. If your team cant do this, somethings wrong.(And if you need help having that conversation, this articles a good place to start.)4. Vacations Too ExpensiveI know- from transportation, to lodging, to meals, traveling can be expensive. But no one ever said you had to go away. You dont have to buy flights, pay for a hotel, and spend $25 on every meal. There are ways to make vacation cheaper, like going to places where you can stay with friends or taking shorter day trips.Theres also this lovely little thing called a staycation where you can sit on your front porch with a book all day. Or spend a ridiculous- but necessary- amount of time at Target. Or stay in your pajamas with your eyes glued to the TV (hint This is where that Queer Eye marathon comes in).Theres no rule that says your days off must be spent at an all-inclusive Caribbean resort. A break from work is a break from work, no matter where it is or what youre doing. And yes- you should be mindful about when youre asking for time off. Requesting to be our for a week starting tomorrow isnt very considerate, nor is taking time off smack dab in the middle of your departments busy time. But that doesnt mean you shouldnt take it at all.So, go o n. Figure out whatever it is you need to do to banish these excuses from your life and use those days. I feel fairly confident in saying that you wont regret it. (But if you do, it isnt my fault). Doing anything fun with your PTO this year? Let me know on Twitter