The Nature Of Naps, Vitality Of Vacations

We know the benefits of getting enough sleep. And we have all heard the praises of getting enough exercise. But we never talk about breaks.

Sure, getting out of the house is nice, but none of us really have the time to sleep and exercise, let alone take a vacation. Then there's the money. Oh, the money. There never seems to be enough of it for our day- to-day operation, let alone enough to whisk away to an exotic locale where an at- tractive and attentive service staff brings bottomless gin and tonics while we enjoy the sun.

Why yes, this is a fre- quent office daydream of mine. Was it that obvious?

All joking aside, vaca- tions are an important part of productivity. It seems coun- ter-intuitive to think that taking a more than pleasant break from work will make us more successful at work. But the benefits of a little rest and relaxation reach beyond just the bags under our eyes.

Don't take my word for it. Technology Entertainment Design (TED) conference speaker Stefan Sagmeister spoke in 2009 about the benefits of a vacation. And while most of us can't afford his year-long sabbatical, the concept is certainly a standard to aim for.

Sagmeister said he found after years of running a design company in New York City, Sagmeister and Walsh, his company's designs and work grew tired and started to demonstrate some repetition in ideas. So Sagmeister decided to close the company down for a year to take a sabbatical.

The company is most notoriously known for their production of album art and packaging for clients that included the Rolling Stones and Lou Reed.

"Every seven years I close (the office) for one year to pursue some little ex- periment, things that are always difficult to accomplish during the regular working year," Sagmeister said dur- ing his presentation.

Operations halt completely as Sagmeister closes his company down com- pletely for the year.

"The work that comes out of these years flows back into the company and back into society at large," Sag- meister said.

A single year of thinking creates seven years worth of ideas at work, Sagmeister said, allowing the company to be more productive.

Sagmeister did the math on his time away, essentially taking five years from his retirement years and inter- spersing them during his working years. He figured about 12.5% of his time was personal. Sagmeis- ter compared that to other companies, like 3M, whose engineers have 15% per- sonal time. 3M's program allowing more personal time for engineers produced products like scotch tape and sticky notes. Sagmeister also pointed out that Google "very famously" gives their engineers 20% of their time for personal use, aiding in the company's success.

While I couldn't take Sagmeister's advice to the extreme he suggests, I was able to take a brief vacation with my sweetheart. Cel- ebrating our four-year an- niversary, we visited Cameo Heights Mansion in Touchet. It wasn't a sun-soaked villa perched over crystalline blue water in an exotic locale, but it was elegant and luxurious.

We've been working re- ally hard and cut out a lot of extras so we could save up to take a night away, and our saving combined with a January special at Cameo made for a great trip that didn't break the bank.

Usually I'm a big advo- cate of the stay-cation - taking time off to vacation at home - but I realized there are so many projects and things to do at home, it isn't very relaxing.

Getting out of the house for a night was a huge relief. Instead of waking up to an excited kitten batting my nose and meowing inches away from my face, we woke up to a gentle knock at the door and a tray of home- baked pastries and fresh coffee.

Most of all, I loved hav- ing a chance to turn off my cell phone and computer and watch the clouds roll through the hills. A little time away was a breath of fresh air for a stressed soul.

But you don't have to shell out an arm and a leg for a spectacular vacation. Lo- cal destinations like Cameo offer seemingly endless amenities within the grasp of a frugal saver.

For an even more inex- pensive trip, take a jaunt a few towns over, just far enough to keep you from trying to run home and check the mail again. Hit a historic local hotel like the Weinhard Hotel or opt for an inexpensive motel so more of the vacation fund can go to hot spots, fancy dinners or a little more gas to get just a little farther out of town.

Relaxation doesn't de- mand chocolates on your pillow; all you need is a break. Save a few dollars a day, week or month and give yourself something to work for and dream about for years to come. Just slow down and take a break.