Colorful vacation post cards

Elixir Combats ‘Design Chicken’ Syndrome

Research shows naps and vacations lead to more and better output. Eggs or otherwise.

by Meagan Riley-Grant

As a company, we try and walk the elusive line of healthy work/life balance. However, when deadlines get tight and projects stack up, a “design chicken” phenomenon can seep in. Cooped at your desk and tasked to keep the work flowing at a steady and consistently high rate can be a challenge.

In a field where we are expected, and in fact hired to, see things from a fresh and differentiated perspective, it’s especially important to step off the daily treadmill and shake up the senses. A certain amount of automaticity is needed day in and day out but the benefits of a change of pace, scenery, or even schedule cannot be denied.

Turning slightly yellow, a little crumpled, we have a 2013 New York Times Sunday Review article pinned to the wall in our conference room, Relax! You’ll Be More Productive! The article was sent to Jen by her mom and still has the sweet motherly advice attached on a post-it, “Keep those vacations coming! No guilt trip!” The article highlights research that’s proving downtime is the best way to stay fresh and productive at work. It may seem counterintuitive but who are we to argue with science? It’s not how long you work but how well that counts after all. The renewal and rejuvenation that comes from time away from your desk and extra sleep is all supporting quality of work and quality of life.

Summer is the perfect season for vacation of course and we did our part at Elixir to renew ourselves this past season. We went to far off places like Barcelona and Ireland and places close to home like Alamos and Yosemite. We got out with family and friends and saw new sights, experienced new things, and collected stories from the road to share. As Fall officially settles in around us, we thought we share a few of our vacation highlights, where we got out to stretch our wings. Some Elixir-made postcards with greetings from the road…

Greetings from Sierra National Forest yellow postcard
Nate and his family head to the great outdoors for hiking and climbing.
Greetings from Cancun Mexico light green postcard
Nick rendezvous with family on the Caribbean Sea.
Greetings from Barcelona Spain turquoise postcard
Maria escorts the soccer girls to play internationally.
Greetings from Los Alamos California coral pink postcard
Jessica hits the sand and swings in Los Alamos.
Greetings from Ireland green postcard
Beth trades San Francisco summer fog, for Irish summer fog.
Greetings from Yosemite California blue postcard
Meagan’s family conquers Nevada Falls in Yosemite.
Greetings from Vichy Springs California pink postcard
Billy gets a surprise trip with friends to the hot springs.