It’s that time of the year. The time when things slow down a bit and many people in the world of work embark on a staycation or a vacation.
It’s holiday time!
Have you made your own plans to switch off from work so that you can relax, reconnect, refresh, and reset?
I was reading a report recently that highlighted the rising issue of burnout among workers. It mentioned two main things that caught my attention (amongst other things):
– Fewer people are going on holiday in recent times.
– Those who manage to go on holiday are finding it difficult to really switch off when they are on holiday.
Those two things caught my attention because I know the importance of rest and I have a few helpful words to offer those two groups of people.
For those in the first group, I have this to say to you: STOP!
You’ll need to deliberately switch off from work mode so that you can catch your breath and organically refresh your energy. The good thing about stopping is that you don’t have to go away on vacation if you can’t afford it. You can have a staycation at home or somewhere local. So whether you choose to go away or stay put, the important thing is that you please take time off work. It is important because your mind and your body desperately need it, whether you admit it or not. Furthermore, you’ll be all the better for it both in health and in functionality.
When I say STOP, this is what I mean:
S – step away (physically and mentally) from your work table, work phone, PC, and laptop. A good place to start would be to decide for yourself when you’d like to take your rest days and mark them on your calendar. Next, let your direct report/team members/senior leader (or any other relevant person) know about your plan to take some days off. One thing I’ll suggest here that’s worthy of note is that you be careful not to take on new tasks that will spill into that time frame or cause you to work during that time (if this cannot be avoided, work out a plan to delegate what you’ll not be able to cover when you’re away). While you’re working on that, you can start clearing your workload to ensure that you have no outstanding work and that you haven’t left any slack for someone else to pick up. When all that’s sorted, you can begin to mentally step away from rigorous work mode so that when you’re ready to physically step away, you’ll really be stepping away.
T – take time off. You need to make your time off official by submitting it for approval. Be ready to negotiate if necessary but don’t back down on taking time off. If you work for yourself, block it in your diary and start making all those who need to know about it, aware of it. Be sure to let your customers or clients know that you’ll not be around for a while. Also, remember to set up your email to send an automated away response so that people trying to contact you don’t think you are ghosting them.
O – organise your time off. In other words, make plans for where and how you want to spend your time off. Be sure to add things to your itinerary that make you happy and help you feel relaxed.
P – prepare yourself for your time off (mentally, emotionally, and physically).
I’ve often heard people say things like this; “I feel like the line between my home life and work is blurred.” Be that as real as it may seem, those lines are clear, they are not blurred as you’ve come to believe. The reason they might seem blurred is not that they are actually blurred, but that you haven’t set clear boundaries between them. Agreed, home life and work might sometimes seem intertwined but that’s because you are the one running both of them; you’re the main player on both ‘stages’. If you’re really honest with yourself, you’ll admit that there is a demarcating line between both of them and you can clearly tell what work is and what home life is.
In light of that, I urge you to make your time off work, one where you set those much-needed boundaries; for your own sanity and for your wellbeing.
Tips for those who find it difficult to switch off
First, your holiday time is a time for you to rest. Rest here means: reconnect, refresh, replenish, and renew. It is not a time to sneak in email checks or make a few calls to see how things are going at work.
When you take time off, you are doing it so that you can restore depleted mental, emotional, and physical energy. You’re doing it for your own health’s sake and to ensure your continuous effective functionality.
To ensure you switch off while on holiday (home or away), I suggest you prepare yourself before you go so that when you’re vacationing or staycationing, you can be present and you can actually fulfill the purpose of taking time off.
Before you go:
1.) Prepare your mind. Switch off work mode and clear your mind of work-related things. You can do this by thinking of the fun and relaxing things you plan to do on your days off. Think of things that make you happy; things you love. Be sure to include those things in your holiday plans. Keep thinking about those things and envisage yourself already doing and enjoying them; it’ll help you look forward to your time off. The first step to switching off is switching off in your mind. If you can get it right in your mind, the rest of you will gladly follow.
2.) Clear your workload. Don’t leave work undone thereby creating an avalanche of workload for someone else. Clearing your workload is good manners. It will also help you focus less on work and more on rest.
3.) Have a chat with your manager/direct report to hand over your tasks and/or responsibilities. If you run your own business or you book clients, please block your holiday dates in your diary. This is so that your clients know you’re not available. As a boss/founder/CEO/manager, you must trust that whomever you have handed over to is capable of handling things. Ideally, you should have been delegating or training others for times like this…but that’s talk for another time 🙂
When on vacation:
1.) Avoid work phone(s). Ideally, leave them at home.
2.) Leave your laptop or work tablet at home.
3.) Resist the urge to check emails.
4.) Do not call colleagues to check how work is going. Also, don’t ask for office goss if you end up calling a colleague for social reasons. When on holiday, keep all conversations with colleagues work-free.
5.) Relax and have fun.
Lastly, I have a few things to say to leaders. Things that’ll ensure they don’t put their employees or team members under pressure when they are on holiday.
1.) Do not project your work style on them (especially if you’re a workaholic). Be sure not to make passive or active suggestions about them checking in whilst they are away. Also, be mindful not to ask for a number you can reach them on while they are away.
2.) Have them prepare before they go. Go through a proper hand-over with them so you can both assign tasks to someone else that can handle it.
3.) Don’t send or forward them an email.
4.) Don’t call them. Imagine they are on a desert island with no network…or that they’ve fallen off the face of the earth 🙂
We all need time off to rest and rejuvenate; it’s a necessary human requirement for continuous productivity. Employees and leaders each have a part to play in this matter. If the world of work is expected to keep producing excellent results, they both have to play their part.
So once again, it’s holiday time. If you haven’t already, make plans to relax, reconnect with, replenish and renew yourself.
Make time to switch off so you can continue to stay on.
Lead Right and Live Light,
Belinda
