Thursday, June 03, 2004

Note to My-Workaholic-Self

* Americans work more than medieval peasants did. We work more hours per day, more days per year than citizens of any other industrialized nation.


* Countries such as Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Norway, where fewer hours are worked, are more productive per hour of labor. Norway, for example, has an hourly productivity rate 10 percent higher than that of the United States, and its poverty rate is a quarter lower.


* Passing on vacations doesn't pay off in productivity, Robinson argues. Being present but exhausted won't get the work done; productivity decreases as stress and fatigue increase.
Robinson cites several productivity studies, the most revealing dealing with health: Annual vacation reduces risk of heart attack by 30 percent for men and 50 percent for women.


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