Letting go of work on vacation.
Burnout or mental exhaustion plagues the American work culture. We “take” vacations but are always on our devices monitoring progress, answering emails and joining meetings, to the point where we don’t even interact with the people physically around us. It’s like we are trapped in our thoughts of the work we left behind, which somehow still needs to get done regardless of our absence…or so we think.
The truth of the matter is we need to take a mental break from time to time to avoid burnout and the fuzzy thinking and decision making that follows. Vacations serve this purpose. They are supposed to enable us to focus on the present moment, be it a restful retreat, a family reunion or an exhilarating expedition. Vacations take you away from your commutes, to-do-lists, reports, meetings, etc., so you can clear your mind and break the monotony of your routine. Additionally, the relaxation, self-discovery and adventure that come from vacations have been shown to amp creativity and boost productivity upon your return.
Here are a few recommendations to set yourself up for a guilt-free vacation mindset:
Do your best to resolve any open items the week leading up to your vacation or plan and communicate how work will get done in your absence.
Put an out-of-office message on your email and voicemail with a contact for urgent matters.
Turn off work alerts on your phone.
Trust your team members to handle business while you are away.
If you cannot fully disconnect, designate a set time during each day to check messages and/or check in with your team, but limit it to that timeframe only.
Book your vacation so that you have one day back home after your trip to get back into the swing of things. Use this time to unpack, stock your fridge/food prep, do laundry and ease back into work by getting organized and caught up on emails, updates, project statuses, etc.
There are so many benefits of being fully present on vacation…from reconnecting with loved ones…to experiencing the amazing food, culture, art, scenery and people around your region, country or the world…to savoring the joy you feel by doing the things you love…and so much more. When you give yourself a much-needed break, you will automatically establish a fresh mindset when you return to work. You will reignite your creative spark, gear up your intrinsic motivation, see things from a new perspective, catch things that were previously glossed over and execute without hesitation. Think of the value that you can deliver when you take the time to fully re-energize.