Okay, so we’ve talked about giving to your colleagues, your customers, and to other companies through the products or services you provide. Can anyone think of something we might have left out this holiday season?

How about giving yourself a gift for all the hard work you did all year?

It’s called PTO, and we all have it (hopefully!). If you take your vacations like good girls and boys, this message is not for you. It is for the workaholics out there who check their work email from home, get in early and stay late and never take time off. This may seem like a great way to advance your career and help your business, but in reality, all you are doing is setting yourself up for burn-out, and fast.

Whether you are about to get all of your 2009 PTO upfront in January, or you have some left over from this year, do yourself a favor and take a few days off. I’ll bet the people you work with will thank you, because a rested you will be much more pleasant to work with.

- April Boland, Journyx Communications Coordinator