Updated: Sep 22
Would you bring your phone into the water? I am sure some of us would but many of us would leave it on the ground somewhere because we don't want to drop it in the water and have it ruined or worse, lose it forever.
We are attached to our phones, tablets, and computers and it makes it really hard to disconnect when we go on vacation. This post is specific to disconnecting from work when you are on vacation.
Before I go any further, there needs to be a mental shift in your thought process. Here is the hard truth...the world will not come to an end if you don't respond to your email or join that conference call.
Especially nowadays, there are more and more people that understand that vacations are important but actually doing it and abstaining from work is so much harder. Think back to when you were a kid in school. Do you remember recess? Schools didn't create recess to allow kids to have fun, they recognized that the break actually helped with everyone's focus and attention when they got back to class. Even Henry Ford recognized that the factory line workers were more productive when they had a break.
So why is it that when we go on vacation, we continue to work. I am sure there are many physiological reasons for this that I am not qualified to answer but one that seems to come to mind is that we feel (or want to feel) that the job we have can't be done without us. If we don't respond to your boss, colleague, staff or customer, who will do it in your place? If someone else responses in your place, does that mean your are replaceable...Probably. But think about it this way, if you are the only person who can do your job, you will never be able to get promoted. Let that thought sit in your mind for a minute.
Now that you have realized that you aren't the only person that can do your job, let people know you are going on vacation. That means letting your boss, colleagues, staff, and customers know you will be gone.
Here's the first big tip- don't put on your out of office message that states "in case of emergency, call my cell" or "I will be checking emails once a day". That means you are still connected. For a vacation to be truly effective, you have to completely disconnect.
That also means not checking emails which will be the hardest part. The feeling of not knowing what is happening (or Fear of Missing Out - FOMO) is hard to get past. It can be done and let me share a few examples. The best I have seen is a former colleague of mine went on her honeymoon and changed the email password on her computer but not her phone. This enabled her not to get any new messages during her special time but was still able to use her phone for personal reasons.
I have found that for me, when I open up my phone, I automatically press the email button. To prevent this from happening on my vacation, I move the icon to another screen into a folder, so it is away from the automatic opening. I have learned to be disciplined not to go in and read the emails but do so on the plane ride home as vacation is over. Even then, I only delete messages that aren't needed, I don't respond and will wait until the following workday.
Now here are the benefits and there are a few.
You will feel better that you were able to take a real break from work. You probably got to the point that you were starting to or were already burned out. I heard recently from one colleague that said his manager and staff all noticed that he was more relaxed upon his return from vacation because this was the first time he actually disconnected from work.
Your family or friends (and you) will appreciate the dedicated time you are spending with them. Don’t use the excuse that I am doing the work before everyone gets up and out of bed. The idea is to completely disconnect so you can be ultra productive when you return, not just be at the same/declining rate of productivity as before you left.
You will be more creative to solve problems upon your return and
Let me repeat, you will feel better.
Now go book that vacation and let everyone know you are nowhere to be found. I like to use the excuse that I don’t want to get sand in my phone😊
Cover photo credit from Linus Nylund