I used to find it really difficult to switch off from work when I was on holiday.
In fact, I got to loathe the idea of a “holiday” because it often became another way of saying I was working from a different chair, or a different country, I would respond to emails and messages no matter where I was, what I was doing, or who I was with. Even when I was on holiday with my children, work still found a way in.
But over the last couple of years, something in me has changed; here I am now, waiting for a flight to Spain with my wife, and work could not be further from my mind.
And honestly, it feels brilliant.Want to know how I flicked that switch?
1. I’m gone
As my holiday gets closer, I let people in the business and key suppliers know I’ll be away.
Not half away. Not “still checking emails” away. Properly away.
I’m on holiday, and I’m gone. Period.
I think giving people clear notice before you leave is a great form of professional respect. Everyone knows where they stand, and nobody is left guessing. And you can start to get support to get some major projects closer to a answer before you leave.
2. The handoff
I hate the soft handoff with a passion; you know the one: “I'm going away, but you can contact me if it’s an absolute emergency.”
It's a statement that sounds helpful, but it keeps the door open; and once the door is open, work starts to creep in, and lots of things become an emergancy and need your attention ... but you allowed it.
So now what I do is I assign clear owners to every active project and/or task before I go away. Everyone in the business knows what is happening, who is responsible, and what needs to move forward.
More importantly, they know I trust them to make decisions while I’m not there, and I have some decent processes in place with plenty of checks and balanced.
My goal is to return to projects that have moved on, not a pile of “waiting for your approval” emails.
To be honest, I’m not that important anyway. I only thought I was 😀
3. Become a digital loner
I never used to mute work notifications; then I started muting them, but that still meant I could check them whenever I wanted. And of course, I did.
Now I go further, and II now delete key 'work' apps from my phone while I’m away, Outlook, Teams, and the softphone app, they all go, so I physically can't be interrupted, or be tempted to take a look. I can always easily reinstall them when I get back anyway.
If I’m not looking at work messaging apps, I’m not thinking about work problems. It sounds a bit extreme, but the psychological weight that lifts is pure bliss.
4. Buffer day(s)
I used to get back home after a holiday and go straight back to work the next day. In fact, once we got back early in the morning during the week, and by the afternoon I had logged back on.
Now I make sure I have at least one full buffer day, preferably two. This gives me time to acclimatise and get back into a normal daily rhythm before I get cracking with work again.
During these buffer days, I do not reinstall apps. I still count them as holiday days… because they are!
These four things alone have made my breaks calmer, cleaner, and far more peaceful.
And to be honest, they are usually well overdue.
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