Summer is here, and for many, that means vacation season. Whether you stay local or travel someplace new and exciting, changing your routine and scenery provides a wonderful opportunity to refresh and reset your body, mind, and spirit.
But not everyone takes vacation. And even when we take vacation, surveys reveal that 68% of Americans work during their time off. Which kind of dilutes the experience. A recent Ceridian/Harris Poll actually found that 67% of American employees who planned to take a summer vacation this year say that might no longer be possible. What’s in the way? Staff shortages, bigger workloads, and inflation were cited as the biggest reasons.
It can be hard to take time off because we’re afraid of falling behind and paying for it when we get back. But the benefits of vacation are too great to skip it all together. The key is to be organized in order to fully enjoy and maximize the benefits of time off:
Think of your vacation as an investment in your performance. When you are recharged and rejuvenated, you have more energy, make fewer mistakes, and come up with more creative solutions to workplace problems. As an added bonus, the deadlines (of a flight or vacation time) force you to focus, eliminate unnecessary distractions, and get more done. Just think how clear your desktop gets right before you leave for vacation!
Vacation in short bites. If you don’t have a vacation planned, or you can’t swing a full week or two, remember that even two days away can improve your well-being, so consider scheduling a few wonderful long weekends throughout the summer and even through the Fall that you can look forward to. These mini-breaks refresh your spirit on a regular basis without sacrificing any work momentum and motivate you to stay focused during the workweek.
Prepare the people you work with. Starting one to two weeks before you leave, remind key players you interact with (supervisors, co-workers, key clients) the days you will be out of the office so that they get deadline-driven assignments to you in advance. Meet with any colleagues covering for you to pass along projects, giving them clear decision rights on things they can handle in your absence and what constitutes an emergency worth contacting you for.
Pull the Plug. Ensure you are able to relax and recharge by limiting your contact with the office while on vacation. If you must check in, give yourself a time limit, like every other day, or five minutes per day to look at email. If you have prepped your colleagues and shared your emergency contact information, they should be prepared to handle things while you are out and know how to find you should the need arise.
Build in re-entry time. Minimize the wall of stress that can hit on your first day back from vacation by planning. Get home early enough to unpack and get a good night’s sleep. Avoid meetings for the first half day back at the office. You’ll need time to catch up on what happened while you were gone before taking on new projects and assignments.
The good news is that with a little preparation, you can fully enjoy your time off, knowing that work continues on productively. So, dust off those flip-flops and use your vacation for truly relaxing and recharging. it’ll help your career and your sanity.