Suze Orman Says Vacations Are an Important Career Move. Here's Why

It pays to heed her advice.

There's a benefit to being a salaried employee as opposed to going freelance. When you work for a company, you're commonly entitled to some amount of paid time off. That might entail a week of paid vacation, two weeks, or three. But it's a workplace benefit that's more valuable than you might initially imagine.

Sadly, though, many workers commonly leave unused vacation days on the table because they're swamped on the job, they're afraid that taking time off will reflect poorly on them, or they're not motivated to use their time off because they can't afford an actual trip. But if you ask financial guru Suze Orman, taking a vacation from work is an important career move. Here's why.

You need that break

Orman insists that vacations aren't just an indulgence -- they're a necessity. And it's easy to see why.

Many of us routinely clock in 40 or 50 hours a week -- or more -- in the course of doing our jobs. For some of us, that's on top of a daily commute to work that could be an additional source of aggravation.

All of that can, over time, lead to burnout. And the best way to break that cycle is to take a vacation.

By taking an extended break from work, you can clear your head, ease your mind, and set yourself up to come back refreshed and ready to tackle challenges. But if you don't allow yourself that break, you might continue to fall victim to stress and struggle on an ongoing basis.

What if you can't afford a vacation?

A lot of people are grappling with sky-high living costs these days due to inflation. If you're having a hard time covering your basic bills, then you shouldn't be spending money on a vacation -- especially if doing so will mean racking up costly credit card debt.

But you don't need to actually leave town to enjoy a vacation from work. If money is tight, take a stay-cation. Explore your own city and seek out free entertainment, like hiking. Or, if you have a friend in another city who's willing to let you bunk for free for a few days, give them a visit and explore their city.

Heck, you could even spend your vacation time sitting on your couch binge-watching Netflix if it makes you happy and helps you unplug and clear your head. The point, either way, is that you need that time away from your job, and if you don't take it, it might actually hinder your career rather than help it.

So if you can't remember the last time you didn't show up to work for many days at a time (other than perhaps being out sick, which doesn't count), take a look at your employer's vacation policy, figure out how many days off you have left this year, and start scheduling some time away from your job. Even if you decide not to leave your home, you can still benefit from an extended period where work-related issues and deadlines are neither your problem nor your responsibility.