Time off from work is essential for everyone. Without it, you risk burning out and losing a significant amount of productivity. When is the right time to use those paid vacation days, though? If you want to maximize your annual leave in 2023, these are the days you might want to book off work.
The days around Easter are worth taking off if your company celebrates the holiday
Unlike in some other countries, Good Friday and Easter Monday aren’t recognized as federal holidays in the US. However, the decision on whether or not to work these days is at the employer’s discretion. So, it’s possible that your company may allow all employees to still take this time off. If so, it’s worth taking the four days after Easter Monday off to maximize your annual leave in 2023. That way, you use up four vacation days but get ten days off. If you only get Good Friday off, take the four days beforehand as annual leave for a nine-day vacation.
The time between Christmas and New Year may also be worth booking off
Not everyone in the US celebrates Christmas. However, this day is considered a federal holiday in the United States, so many employees get time off work. In 2023, Christmas day falls on a Monday, as does New Year’s day – another federal holiday – the following week. If you get these days off and you’re able to, it might be worth asking for the four weekdays after Christmas off. That way, you’ll get a ten-day break from work that will let you relax at the very end of the year.
There are other federal holidays worth booking vacation time around too
The best way to maximize your annual leave in 2023 is to book it around federal holidays, of which there are nearly a dozen in the US. On top of Christmas and New Year, there’s also Independence Day on July 4, Labor Day in early September, and Thanksgiving in late November. Whatever week these holidays fall into, it’s worth taking the days around them off to make the most of your vacation time. Even if you only have a couple of days left, using them around these federal holidays will still give you a very long weekend.
Not everyone can maximize their annual leave in the same way
It’s worth noting that the usefulness of this all depends on where you work and what you do. Different companies offer employees different amounts of paid vacation time, so you may or may not be able to book all these periods off. What’s more, some people may work weekends as well as weekdays, which can make it harder to try and maximize your annual leave. In such instances, it might be best to just book time off for when it will work best for you.
If you’re starting to feel burned out, it’s worth trying to maximize your annual leave in 2023. That way, when you get a break, you’ll be able to make the most of it.
