Earlier this evening, we were sitting at dinner with another couple, lovely folks from Minnesotawho own one small business and run another, and they told us that this is the first vacation they've taken in 10 years.
Yikes.
I wrote another post about this last year when I was similarly relaxing in Jamaica. I quoted various studies citing Americans' (and particularly executive-type Americans') failure to take vacations.
And I suspect the real situation is even worse than the studies show: I believe lots of people who are supposedly on vacation are actually spending a good deal of that time on their computers or phones, doing work. I know from my own hard-won experience that taking a fake vacation (where you're spending many hours a day connected to the office, solving problems, giving direction, etc.) is worse than no vacation at all: you're working, but since you resent it and resist doing it and are trying not to do it, it's more stressful, ultimately, than simply being at work.
I imagine some of you are sitting there shaking your head, thinking, But you don't know my boss/my employees/my customers - I need to work when I'm on vacation.
Sorry, I don't buy it. There's secret to taking real vacations, and I'm about to share it with you:
Set yourself up for success before you leave.
Here's what I mean:
Create clear expectations. When I go on vacation, I let my clients, my employees, and my partner know that I'll be gone, when (if at all) I'll be available to talk, and who will take care of which things in my absence. My assistant knows what kinds of situations he can handle himself, what kinds of things he should check with my business partner about, and what (few) kinds of things he should get in touch with me about.
Work around critical events. I was recently talking to someone who took a two-week vacation out of the country during one of the key events of her business' year. She was on the phone virtually non-stop for two days, while her husband and children made do without her. Unless you're just trying to prove how indispensable you are, schedule your vacations during a lull - or at least not when hellzapoppin',
'Contain' your work. It may not be realistic to disconnect 100% - especially if you'r going to be gone for more than a few days - but if you schedule your work in small chunks, you'll be more likely to truly take a break for the rest of the time. For instance, during my current 10-day vacation, I'm doing a 30-60 minute email-and-blogging session once a day (right now, actually), and on each of two days, I'm adding about 2 hours of phone calls. That means I'll be doing about 10 hours of work over a ten-day period, in very well-defined chunks. When you do it that way - vs. sprinkling it throughout - it feels like a little bit of work and a lot of vacation, rather than all kind of work-ish.
And that brings today's bit of work to a close. I'm going to have a rum and coke now and hang out with my wonderful husband. And here's to your next vacation being a chance to truly rejuvenate and recharge, so you can bring your best self back to work.
_______________________
Check out Erika Andersen’s latest book, Leading So People Will Follow, and discover how to be a followable leader. Booklist called it “a book to read more than once and to consult many times.”
Want to know what Erika and her colleagues at Proteus do? Find out here.
Get fresh ideas and exclusive content - join Erika's Insider List
