Who doesn’t love a good vacation? Theanticipation is half the fun – planning, packing, dreaming of being on a beachwith a good book and your toes in the sand. Camping with friends in the woods(not my personal fave, but I understand the concept). Or a staycation where youpay back your sleep debt and take on DIY projects at home.
Wait a minute. Are you still responding towork emails, checking your phone, and answering messages in this scenario?Turns out, that’s not really taking a break.
We put so much effort into planning ourvacations, but we don’t always plan our work calendars accordingly. Leadersthese days have endless distractions at work – the “time thieves” who pull youin for a quick meeting, a phone call, or a chat. It can be difficult to establishboundaries in order to actually log off during your hard-earned vacation time.I get it, but I know there’s a better way.
Here are a few strategies that may help youtake some meaningful time off this summer:
Plan far in advance. As soon as you can, let everyone and their calendar know that you’llbe away for the week(s) you have so thoughtfully booked off. Shout it from thegod-damned rooftops if you must. Two to three weeks before you leave, determinewhere your major pieces of work will be and what needs to happen while you areaway.
Negotiate deadlines. In every organization, there are hard deadlines and soft ones. Bebold enough to renegotiate the deadlines that you can, hand off the work tosomeone else temporarily, or sprint to get it done ahead of your time off.
Be brave enough to set boundaries. Those who do not set up their “out-of-office” message will failmiserably at vacation. Be specific, letting everyone know who to call, statethat you will not be checking email but that they can text you if something isurgent. Empower your team to take over, let them know you trust them to lookafter things while you’re away.
Ask for an update. Getting back from a break can be disorienting. Ask a direct reportor a friend to send you a list of what transpired, and then read it on yourride home, or the day before you head back. It can be less overwhelming thanlooking at the long list of unread emails on your first post-vacation day.
Set an example for your team. A lot of senior leaders feel like they can’t truly check out. Whileit’s not particularly healthy, it is the norm. Forfeiting hours and hours of vacationtime to answer messages or log into meetings eats into your down time. It alsosends a signal to everyone else that they don’t have permission to trulydisconnect on their time off, which fully defeats the purpose of vacation – totake a break and recharge.
As tough as it can be, try your best to bepresent on your vacation. Your body keeps the score, and it will thank you forthe time away from the daily grind!
