Out of Office

Tammy is so stressed out. She tells me she needs a break, but she feels like there will just be more work to come back to so she just sucks it up and keeps going.

A 9-5 is generally not 9-5. It is highly likely it’s 8-6 or another variation. Back to back meetings. Not leaving your desk. Eating in that rare moment you don’t have to talk on a call. I’m literally getting stressed writing this.

How much better do you feel just looking at that?

We all know the number of benefits to taking a vacation. Going too long without a vacation can have physical and mental consequences. Check out this article from the Harvard Business Review in case you need a reminder. With so many benefits, why would you not take a vacation? 46% of American workers with paid time off don’t take all of it.

Situation #1: Your manager doesn’t take vacations, or works during their vacation, so you feel like you need to do the same thing.

Note to Managers: You are setting the bar for your team. Take the vacation and be a good example! If you can’t delegate or trust your team to be okay while you’re gone, that’s your own problem. Don’t make it theirs.

Situation #2: The amount of work will just pile up and you won’t be able to relax.

Situation #3: I’m not sure who’s lying to who here, but 52% of workers told The New York Times they don’t need more time off.

I wonder how many of these people end up taking an adult gap year because they are so burned out. I’d also recommend reading Fear Factor if fear is something prohibiting you from relaxing.

Here are some hard truths:

1. You will remember the vacation more than the work you did that day unless something so big is happening at work it will change your life. In that case, plan your vacation for the day after.

2. You would be surprised how much of your work you can reschedule. Do as much up front as you can and rearrange your meetings to give yourself time to get back up to speed when you get back.

3. If there’s anything truly urgent, someone will reach out to you. 99% of the time, it’s not that urgent.

4. You are not defined by your job. It might feel that way because you spend so much time doing it and you’re amazing, no doubt, but the organization doesn’t care more about you than your friends, family, or your doctor.

5. If the act of planning a vacation is too daunting, use a travel agent.

I tried planning something to make my entire family happy which was starting to get overwhelming. My husband had a genius idea to let the kids plan the vacation instead. We gave them a budget, options for timing, and told them they both have to agree on the choices they make. I asked them to each decide on their top 3 priorities for the trip in order to help with their decision making process. My son ended up deciding an all-inclusive option was not doable as it wasn’t in the budget and my daughter didn’t want to do another cruise even though it was one of his top 3 priorities originally. So many lessons from this exercise and no doubt it will be an adventure they remember!

Another tip I’ll share is to plan your next vacation either during or right after the most recent one. It will give you something to look forward to which makes the long days not seem so long. Financially, you’re more likely to get a deal booking in advance and have more time to budget accordingly. Many trips have payment plans. It also helps you request the vacation time before others already snag it making the chances of approval higher. Any projects at work can also then be planned around it. If something changes with your employment situation, the vacation is already booked. Your future self will thank you.

So many people are feeling right now like the future of work is not working for an organization at all because of the pressures and lack of control.

Take a vacation.

Reset.

There is only one you and you have only one life to live. Enjoy it!