How to truly unplug over holiday break
By now, we all know (or we all should know) the long-lasting benefits from truly taking a break and unplugging from work. We’ve also all tried, and failed, at this. We’ve had every intention of not checking work email, yet it creeps into our brains when we have a moment of inactivity. Or, we do our part but the work group text comes in and zaps you out of vacation-mode. We try, we fail. We think we’ll miss something big. We think we’ll be seen as a poor team-player if we truly take a break. We put our “out of office” auto-replys in place but then reply to emails as we get them.
Whether you’re taking 3 days or 3 weeks this year, here are a few recommendations to make the most of your much-deserved break this holiday season:
Map your stakeholder groups. Who do you come in contact with regularly? These stakeholder groups will all need a clear plan with expectations. Stakeholders may include your subordinates, your customers, your VIP customers, your office assistants, your leadership team, your peers, and any project groups or committees you’re on.
Proactively troubleshoot. Look at the calendar. Are there any key activities coming up that you need to prepare for? Are there weekly activities that you need to plan for (weekly staff meetings, invoicing deadlines, whatever)? Think about each stakeholder group you mapped in step 1… what might [stakeholder 1, stakeholder 2] need while I am away?
Do your part. A.k.a., give yourself permission. Don’t answer emails. If you’re just dying to, check the emails - fine, go ahead, knock yourself out. But the more you answer emails and texts, the less you honor the time off policy at work. And, I hate to be the one to tell you, but you’re not a hero for answering your email over break. Rather, you’re a sad sack that is knotting him/herself up with work. If you don’t honor the time off yourself, the expectation you are setting for other employees is that time off doesn’t matter.
What are your tips for truly unplugging over a planned vacation?
