I've come to understand the critical importance of taking time to disconnect from work periodically. Doing so makes you more effective and refreshed in both your professional role and personal life. The ability to step back from work and recharging during a holiday is invaluable. During these moments of true disconnection, I've found some of my best ideas and solutions to problems. I love a good holiday – an exotic locale, a beach read, no responsibilities other than to relax and rejuvenate. Sounds perfect, right? Too bad you brought your laptop along…
At work, time thieves are everywhere: meetings, emails, and distractions can make you lose sight of your priorities and follow others' agendas. Unfortunately, these time wasters often follow us on vacation too. Here’s how to prevent them from ruining the benefits of a real break.
Plan Ahead
We are often better at booking hotels and tourist attractions than planning our work schedules for meaningful time off. Two to three weeks before your vacation, anticipate where your major projects will be and what needs to happen while you are away. This enables you to renegotiate deadlines, delegate tasks temporarily, or finish work in advance of your departure.
Find a Buddy
Returning from a vacation can be disorienting. It helps if someone can update you on what happened while you were away. Ask a colleagues to send you a "While you were away" update via email the day before you return. This allows you to catch up at your own pace – sometimes on the flight home – so our reorientation conversations can be brief and focused.
Set Clear Boundaries
Your out-of-office message is your best friend while you’re on vacation. Be specific about who to contact in your absence. Clearly state that you will not be checking email and suggest texting only for urgent matters. If you’ve empowered your team to make decisions while you’re away, you can minimize the number of urgent reach-outs.
Lead by Example
It’s unhealthy to sacrifice vacation time by checking in or attending meetings. These behaviors signal that no one is permitted to fully disconnect. This defeats the purpose of a vacation – to recharge by not thinking about work.
So, next time you take a break, try truly disconnecting. Let’s make work-life balance part of our daily lives, not just an ideal. Remember, you work to live, not live to work.
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