
Should we take a few long holidays, or lots of short ones? - hhs
http://timharford.com/2019/09/should-we-take-a-few-long-holidays-or-lots-of-short-ones/
======
gotodengo
For me it's less the duration of a holiday and much more about the content.

I've had 2 week vacations that consisted of some small important event like a
family get together, but otherwise were largely spent on the computer. These
usually fly by and suddenly I'm right back at work feeling exactly as I left.

Most long weekends of the year wind up more or less the same. With the extra
day off barely even being noticed.

One time though, I saw and bought a cheap day of ticket to Puerto Rico over
labor day. Left the laptop behind, found the first cheap place to stay once I
landed, met some cool people while hiking and spent the whole weekend with
them. It was by far the best vacation I've ever had, and the relaxation stuck
with me for months.

I suppose I agree with the article, that length largely doesn't change your
perception of the experience. So if taking shorter vacations means more
experiences then it may be better. I think the important thing to note though
is, at least for me to get anything out of it, it has to be an experience
outside the norm and off the computer.

------
awillen
One of the great challenges of long vacations for me is knowing that work is
stacking up while I'm out. If I take a four day weekend, I can completely
disconnect from work, but if I take a two week vacation, I'm either checking
my email or stressed out about the fact that I'm not checking my email. Either
way, the short vacation is the one that lets my brain truly rest.

When I take weeks or months off, it's between jobs, though obviously that's
not an option for everyone. Those are the times when I have interesting ideas
for side projects, books, etc.

~~~
Symbiote
Check your "bus factor".

I'm part of a small team, and my bus factor is one for some tasks (purchasing
hardware for example). I make sure that won't be necessary if I'm to be away
for three weeks. For most tasks the factor is >1.

This wasn't the case when I took the job, but by improving documentation,
automation (DevOps) and sharing work, there are far fewer tasks that only
"Fred" knows how to do.

I take some short and some longer breaks, over the year perhaps one holiday of
three weeks, one of two weeks, and three of 2-3 days.

~~~
contingencies
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_factor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_factor)

For others who have never heard it expressed as a factor.

Amongst other responsibilities I am also a hardware purchasing manager, but as
a robotics firm we purchase many things daily.

------
henrygrew
it's hard to schedule long holiday's without losing context and work piling
up, that's my feeling

------
ntlk
Why not both?

~~~
karmakaze
"There’s something fractal about rest: we need it daily, weekly and yearly."

