Business Intelligence or Common Sense?

Wow! We all took a week off from blogging – and celebrated Independence Day! I don’t know about you, but I really feel the need to remember that it is a celebration of our Independence rather than the Fourth of July. It is important that we remember that our forefathers fought for our independence from taxation without representation and from tyrannical rule. If we don’t understand that, then we are likely to become another “Great Britain of the 18th Century.”

We all need breaks. After we take a break, we come back to our tasks fresher, with a new perspective, enthusiasm and renewed energy.

In this economy, those with jobs are working harder and working longer hours than ever before. If you are in the category (like working with help desk software)

 make sure you are taking refreshing breaks during the day. To take a refreshing break, take a walk outside, talk to someone you would not normally talk to, sit under a tree and watch the antics of squirrels playing, or do some exercises that get the blood flowing to your large muscle groups. Research shows that three periods of 10-15 minute exercise is nearly as good as a longer (30-45 minute) period of sustained exercise. So not only will you be refreshed, you will be better toned and your cardiovascular system will be improved.

Then there are vacations . . .a-a-ah . . . vacations! Did you know that an annual vacation can cut heart attack risk by 50% (statistics from the Travel Industry Association)? That’s enough reason to get a week’s worth of different scenery. However, the TIA also found that employers rack up $150 billion a year in stress-related absences when employees are overworked. Okay, we all need to go somewhere.
I am thinking that a staycation (the stay-at-home vacation) is not what they are talking about here. The mind and body actually re-set themselves when we travel and have new and different inputs and stimulation. People who travel away from home actually sleep better and longer during and after their vacation. Their life satisfaction increases during vacation adn those effects continue after the vacation. The ill effects of not traveling away from home keep us locked in our fight-or-flight response to life which leads to anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and depression. Eventually our body responds with increased cortisol which leads to chronic illnesses like arthritis and obesity and diabetes.

If you work a help desk, that can be a stressful job. Even though you have really good help desk software, you still have a lot to do and much of it centers on your relationship with people. Do yourself a favor and don’t skip your away-from-home vacation this year!