How I Make the Most Out of Taking Time Off

 

Image Credit | Mateusz Dach | Pexels

Today I'm taking a break from my regular day-to-day job. I'll be stepping out after work this afternoon and will return the first Monday after next week. While I'm out I will have turned off notifications for email and Slack.  I want to be sure that I can be present with my family and enjoy disconnecting from work so that I can return fully recharged and ready to pick up projects where I've left off and take on new challenges.

Smart organizations give their teams time off as a way to ensure that they can perform at their highest levels. Working non-stop is not only bad for the employee but it's bad for the employer. Bot the employee and the employer benefit when paid time off is used to completely disconnect and recharge. Working too long, too often, and too intensely can result in burnout. Burnout leads to reduced productivity and in the long run, can lead to physical and mental health problems. Taking time off however leads to rest, relaxation, and returning to work more ready to take on the challenges that await.

As I prepare to take time off I'm reflecting on the two articles I've written about vacation. One goes through how to take time off without feeling guilty about it. The other article is about how to return to work and get back into the groove of things.  Below is a condensed version that brings together the best points of both articles. If you'd like to read the full articles as well, I've linked those below. 

How I Take Vacation and Don't Feel Guilty About Work - Original Article

I've earned it

You work hard to earn your time off. In fact, it's due to you. When you take the job with a company they agree to provide you benefits and salary in exchange for the work you do. For that reason, you should absolutely feel entitled to take and use your full allotment of PTO. Never allow yourself to feel guilty about taking time off. It is as much for the benefit of the organization as it is for you. 

The world will go on

While we all like to think of ourselves as indispensable the reality is that the world will not end and the companies and teams that we work for will not fall apart in our short absence. There may be moments of hesitation as folks work to move projects along without you, but deadlines will still be met and work will still get done. Don't trouble yourself over any lost productivity. Your short time off will have no long-lasting negative impact. 

I can feel better if I prepare

I like to feel prepared for my vacation. Let everyone know in advance what is happening and when by scheduling out vacation as far as possible. Then I like to plan for what tasks can be put on hold and what needs to be handed off while I'm out. You can do the same. When you feel like there's a plan for how work will continue you won't feel pressured to check in when you should be checked out. 

Set expectations

Ideally, if I've worked on my projects successfully they should be at a point where there is no work to be done while I'm out. Sometimes, however, little things can come up that might have needed my attention. Work with your boss and peer to identify who can take point on anything that might come up while you're out and communicate that to anyone who might need to contact you about it, while you're gone. 

Last-minute reminder

The last day before I go on vacation, I like to do two things. I send a reminder to let everyone know I'll be out of the office and then set an out-of-office reply in case anyone forgets and sends me a message. I like to make my out-of-office reply as simple but as straightforward as possible.  Typically it looks something like this:

Hi!

Thank you for your message. I am currently unavailable.

I will read and reply to your message when I return to the office next week. If you have an urgent request, please reach out to my point of contact in our Slack channel and one of my peers will be able to assist you.

Thanks,

Nick

Simple, straightforward, to the point, and no apologies about taking time off.

Check out

You're ready to go. You've scheduled it in advance, you have a plan for how you'll go and a way to let people know what to do if they needed something from you. You've also realized that it's good to take time and disconnect.  Hop into your phone's settings and turn notifications off for any work-related apps. There won't be anything you have to see while you're out. 

While I'm out I tackle personal projects I've been meaning to get to. I'll go for long walks and bike rides. I have delicious dinners with my family and meet up with friends I haven't had the chance to connect with in a while. This time, I have a graduation to go to and some sports activities the kids are involved in that I finally get to go see in person.  I'm taking my wife to lunch at one of our favorite spots as well.  I also am planning to take a few days and relax without having to do anything.  I'm excited to have fun and recharge. 

How to Get Back to Work After Vacation - Original Article

Like when I take time off I have a plan for returning to work too. Here are some tips that I use to ensure that when I come back I can pick up right where I left off. 

Take a Buffer Day

I always like to build a buffer day into my vacation plans. This is at least 1 day before I return to work, where I'm not traveling or doing any strenuous activities. It's a chance to relax fully before returning to work.

Clean Up Your Inbox

No matter how hard you prepare and let people know you'll be out, they will still email you. Fortunately, you turned notifications off before going on vacation. Unfortunately, you now need to deal with the backlog. The good news is that you set an out of the office with clear instructions on where to go. Save any emails that have the information you might need later and since you let people know what to do in your auto-reply, feel free to delete the rest. 

Prioritize Your Work

Neither you nor anyone else can do two things at once. Look at the work that you need to get done and prioritize the most important work first. Think about your end goals and what work most effectively helps to achieve that work and start there. Put the tasks that don't support your goals fully or are less effective at achieving them at the bottom of the list.

Create a Checklist

Speaking of lists, create a to-do list to check off as you complete things. You've identified your priorities now list them out one by one in order. You can do this electronically or physically. The key is to get that emotional high by checking off things as you complete them. This will help reduce a feeling of being overwhelmed when returning and increase your feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment as you knock out task after task. 

Reflect

Now that you've completed all of your backlogs it's time to reflect. Look back and what you had to do in return and see what ways you could have ensured those tasks were handled while you were out. Should they have been assigned somewhere else? Was your out-of-office communication clear enough? Whatever the reason use those lessons when you prepare for your next vacation.

That's it. The easy peasy two-part process to preparing for and returning from vacation. I used to take my laptop with me on vacation and I would feel compelled to work throughout. Now I prepare in advance and know that I won't need it. It really helps me enjoy my vacation without having to worry about my work. What do you do to go on vacation? Are you able to disconnect or do you feel the tug of work pulling you back in? Tell me!