If you learned one lesson from last year’s “quiet stop” craze, I hope it’s this: do the work you’re paid to do, and then live your life. Whatever your company’s policy on time off, you deserve to make the most of it. But you need to plan ahead and lock in those vacation dates now. Otherwise, long-awaited long weekends have a tendency to surprise you and pass you by like all those other pathetic two-day weekends. Here are the dates you need to know to extend your time off with long weekends in 2024.

When planning your vacations in the new year, the best way to maximize your time off is to always request days that are around existing long weekends. And you should mark your calendar now with the major holidays and long weekends in 2024. The earlier in the year you request those adjacent PTO days off, the more likely your request will be approved.

Here's a complete list of guaranteed or potential long weekends in 2024, and what it looks like if you strategically request one PTO day to get a four-day weekend.

Monday January 1 (New Year's Day recognized)