"Vacation Your Way to Better Health"; Arrive

Efficiency versus effectiveness. What is the difference? Michael Hammett’s article “Vacation Your Way to Better Health” featured in Arrive’s July/August 2012 publication is a solid example.

In fewer than 300 words, Hammett efficiently conveys advice—take more vacations to improve health—and why people should follow his suggestion. He fluidly blends his lede and nut graf into one paragraph and offers an ‘aha!’ moment. Hammett lists commitments we should be making to lead healthy lives, such as eating nutritiously and exercising regularly. He then suggests adding vacations to the list. My first thought: “That’s it?”

Although an easy 30-second read with a strong introduction, the second half of Hammett’s article loses effectiveness. Effectiveness includes both how and what you present.

The freedom of vacation

Two academic studies strengthen Hammett’s argument. Ph.D. Researcher Brooks B. Gump, provides disturbing statistics. Citing him validates the article, but referencing expedia.com concerns me. I question expedia.com’s motives for conducting their survey and the data procured. I question Arrive’s corporate relationship with expedia.com.

Quotes from Gump charge this piece but the concluding quotation does nothing to forward the argument. It reiterates the previous paragraph and just ends. Hammett could have created a stronger, original concluding sentence or cut the last two paragraphs and concluded with Gump’s quote in the third last paragraph.