This brilliant, short commentary by Jim Shea suggests that Unplugging (one of this blog’s favorite recommendations) is not alive and well.  Rather, work trends continue to move toward the 24/7 model, thanks to technology.  We now have a culture of “Crackberries”—worker bees who never let the work buzz stop. 

Hence, “weisure time.”  That’s when your work and leisure time merge into a sort of purgatory. Symptoms include…

• People with BlueTeeth.  
• Dinner dates who text while they talk to you.  
• Laptops on the beach. 

“They” say this is the future.  And it’s already here. 

Hey, if this is what it takes to succeed at your job, do what you gotta do.  But if you can possibly take temporary retirement—and I’m talking, like, going to a baseball game and spending an evening with your kids—then dare yourself to Unplug now and then.

You may work better.  And you’ll feel better too.  

Survey sez: 

77%.  When asked what they found difficult about taking time off from work for vacation, percentage of full-time employed adults who said it was their first day back after vacation. 

44%.  Percentage who found the last day in the office before vacation to be difficult.   Source:  Randstad-USA

The stats and stories about unused vacation time in the USA are sad and startling.  But these numbers provide a glimpse into the working lives of the poor stiffs who find taking time off to be “difficult.” 

Of course, that day before and after breaking away can be a challenge.  But don’t most worthwhile pursuits in life come with a cost?  Heck, even vedging in front of the TV requires some electronics, cable or satellite, cold beer and fresh chips! 

Since enjoying hard-earned vacation time can be so challenging, BreakAways make even more sense.  After all, the workday before and after escaping for a month or six probably isn’t any more “difficult” than when you take a week off. 

And for sure the payoff is much, much bigger!  

A recent survey published in TIME reveals that more than half of Americans are losing faith in the future of the American Dream.  No surprise there, and perhaps it’s even a contrarian indicator?  After all, people get overly giddy when times are good, and then go too gloomy when cyclical downturns happen—which can suggest a bottom. 

Percentage of people who believe the American Dream will be easier or harder to achieve in 10 years.

13% Easier

57% Harder

This time may be be different, though.  We’ve given ourselves far too much credit for far too long.  If the American dream is pay-as-you-go for a while, these numbers could be spot-on.  Oh well, the best things in life are still free. Right?  This site is all about taking TIME (not the magazine, duh)—not spending money on stuff! 

Isn’t the internet great?  Isn’t it cool having Blackberries and iPhones and being able to get any and/or all information anywhere and everywhere all the time? 

Maybe.  But at a cost.  Never mind the loss of free time and thought and spirit. 

$900 billion.  Annual cost to the U.S. economy – in lower productivity and throttled innovation  — in organizations of all shapes and sizes caused by information overload.

According to the research, the REAL cost is even more outrageous:  Nearly a trillion dollars! 

‘Nuff said. 

Where can you find pleasure

Search the world for treasure

Learn science technology

Where can you begin to make your dreams all come true

On the land or on the sea

Where can you learn to fly

Play in sports and skin dive

Study oceanography

Sign of for the big band

Or sit in the grandstand

When your team and others meet

–From “In the Navy” by the Village People

In this provocative NYT article, David Brooks dives deep into the notion that genes and IQs and things determine profound success, and convinincingly argues that nothing beats good, old-fashioned practice.  That’s not only how musicians get to Carnegie Hall, it’s also what made Mozart and Tiger Woods great. 

As Brooks states,

The mind is sloppy and will settle for good enough.  By practicing slowly, by breaking skills into tiny parts and repeating, the strenuous student forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance.” 

He recommends two “enjoyable” new books:  “The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle, and “Talent Is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin. 

For any of us who feel in a slump, a little background reading on perseverance may in order.  After all, nobody golfs par or launches a new idea without hard work along the way.  At some point, it’s probably even pleasureable.  Bet the pay-off is! 

To stretch the idea a bit further, nobody gets a sabbatical without persistence and patience either.  Gosh, even a week vacation takes ample planning and some sacrifice.  So, if you want a BreakAway, start rehearsing now.  Try weekend escapes.  Serve up (media-free) Sunday Supper.  Sneak away and chill 20 minutes every afternoon. 

Practice may not make perfect.  But it may get you to your desired destination in life.  

Financial writer Kara McGuire hits “Pay Dirt” (her column name) with this article, “Put a Squeeze on your Financial Stress.”  We hear same-old suggestions a lot, but here Paymar seeks fresh ideas from a three wise folk whose area of expertise usually is not money.  They are:

• Barbara Murphy, a Buddhist priest
• Rebecca Thomley, a clinical psychologist
• Michelle Burns, a life coach

There’s so much more to life than money—and so much more to these tips than tactical money-management stuff.  If financial worries have got you down, take a gander…  

Gretchen Rubin is generating quite the buzz with her “Happiness Project.”  And in this HuffPost blogpost, she asserts that reliving happy memories from the past is one small secret that happy people share.  I so agree.  And remind you that taking a BreakAway is a sure way to ensure that your past is packed with joyful experiences worth revisiting.

Here are a few Rubin blog quotes + a comment…

Philosophers and scientists agree: if there is one element that is the key to happiness, it’s having strong relationships with other people.” 

• True that, and going somewhere new allows you to meet all kinds of new people—and cut straight to honest chat; how cool to have friends from all over the world. 

Remembering happy times in the past is a great way to boost happiness in the present.” 

• Life can become a busy grind and the days can blur; just stepping away from the grindstone makes those times stand out. 

I keep a one-sentence journal.” 

• Indeed, one essential Sabbatical Suggestion is to log your BreakAway.  You pay better attention, and have something to spark the memory.  Why not live that way every day?  

Sure, a BreakAway pushes you into the Here and Now in a way that the daily routine can’t match.  But when it’s over—and you’ve had to go home again—you remember that day surfing the wave, baking the bread, or hiking the mountain forever.  Those things change you, and the rich reminiscences only appreciate over time.  And that’s a happy thought indeed.

It’s my sense that families have been taking “staycations” for years.  But these days, with folks trying to cut back on spending, the idea is generating all kinds of buzz and steam.  In this clever memoir from the NY Times, a family tries—and succeeds–at going nowhere.  Yet they do find some bumps in the road less traveled.  To wit: 

• One child wonders—presciently—if the folks will just work all the time, like they do when home.  Guess what?  They kind of do. 
• Mom (the author) admits she works every single day, sometimes for hours.  Yet she seeks balance toward the end by allocating some time blocks as “work” and others “play.” 
• They did, indeed, save money—even though they enjoyed some splurges and agreed not to worry about it. 
• This time, they avoided coming home from the vacation feeling like they need a vacation.  Who doesn’t know that sensation? 

As this story suggests, staycations can be a great BreakAway from work—and from the normal routine.  But you need to plan special outings you normally don’t do, avoid plugging into work too much, and have realistic expectations. 

My advice to this family?  Next year, go somewhere dreamy.  And afterward, have a family meeting to see if one wins by a mile, or if there’s room for both in the future. 

This website, after all, is dedicated to free time of ALL kinds and places.