How To Successfully Unplug While On Vacation
In this technologically advanced world, is a vacation ever really a vacation? Every hotel has wifi which allows you to plug in through your phone, ipod or tablet and simultaneously keep up with work like you never left. A survey conducted by Alamo Rent a Car earlier this year found that 34% of millennials worked every day of their vacations. While this is admirable and shows signs of a dedicated employee, a wise person recently told me “don’t get into the habit of working while on vacation, you’ll be much more productive when you get back.” Here are some things to ponder before logging into those work emails from the beach:
- If you can, keep the gadgets off or at home.
No not home, like your temporary home the hotel, home as in your permanent home that you are spending time away from. It is way too easy to check on what’s going on back at the office when your gadgets are conveniently within arm’s reach. If you don’t have your gadgets and have to pay to use that slow hotel computer you may be less inclined to check in on everything that’s going on at your company. You should trust your employees and/or coworkers to do what they were hired for which is to keep business thriving and afloat while you are away. Gather a dependable team before you leave, make sure they know how to do all the necessary tasks in your absence and trust them to do their jobs well.
- ONLY speak to your employees and/or coworkers in an emergency.
Before you head out for your vacation, tell your employees and/or coworkers to only contact you 1. if it’s an emergency and 2. through one preferred method of contact. That method could be your personal e-mail, cell phone, or them contacting the hotel directly – whichever you are most comfortable with. This will force them to actually think twice before contacting you and will hopefully allow you the freedom to relax. Additionally, you can refrain from checking your work emails “in case something is going wrong” because someone would be contacting you at your personal email if that were the case.
- Set specific time frames to check your work emails.
If it would kill you to not check your work emails while on vacation, set specific times to check your inbox. This type of structure will allow you to feel responsible but not let work take over your vacation. Also, make sure to allot a fixed amount of time for each check in. The frequency and time(s) of day that you set should take into account what you can realistically handle. One suggestion would be to only check your emails once in the middle of the day and once at the close of business for 30 minutes at a time. Whatever you choose, stick to it. You should not spend more than that allotted amount of time on work per day. YOU ARE ON VACATION.
- Don’t make any obligations to complete tasks while you’re away.
It’s hard to have fun with the idea of work obligations looming in the back of your mind. As small as they may be, if you step up to complete work tasks while you’re on vacation be sure that you can yield quality work. If you can’t guarantee the work will be completed well and on time, don’t make the obligation. It may seem like a good idea to offer your help while you are gone but being sensible about your capabilities while on vacation is better for the greater good of the company. It could potentially hurt your reputation in the event that you are not able to deliver on your promise.
- Set a goal of how much work to complete before you leave, and DO IT.
You will usually know ahead of time before you depart for your vacation. If possible, complete everything on your to-do list before you leave. If that’s not possible, set a realistic goal of how many things you want to knock off the list. Realistic specifically means that you will be satisfied with the amount of work you complete and that you have enough time to achieve it. Overestimating yourself and not finishing everything prior to departure can leave you feeling disappointed. As I’ve mentioned before, you don’t want the idea of work looming in the back of your mind while you’re on vacation. Your vacation should be a time for relaxation and momentarily forgetting about work.
If you feel guilty about being away from work remind yourself out loud: “Everyone’s brain needs some rest every once in awhile, including me. I deserve this break.” The only thing you should be thinking about is the beach, your tours, the people you’re on vacation with and margaritas, I’m sure you do deserve it.
How do you manage work when you are on vacation? Let us know in the comments below.
