subject: Summer Vacation [print this page] Summer Vacation Summer Vacation
Don't bring your job with you!
When Memorial Day weekend began, our mind started to focus on the savored summertime season. Barbeques, swimming in pools, walks along the sea or just swinging in a back yard hammock to catch up on some well needed R&R are all part of the season's fun, but too many of us forget to clock out at work, even if we are on a family beach vacation.
Emails keep us thinking about what is next on the office to do list as well as a co-worker phoning because they have a question on an unfinished project we left behind. Even on a tropical beach, sipping a sweet or tangy drink from the outdoor pavilion, it's easy to "slip" from vacation mode and shift into worker- mo-jo, when our blackberry buzzes.
How to avoid work when it's your time to enjoy the sunshine?
We're all guilty of forgetting to unplug and enjoy the moment. We know we should focus on the moment because vacation time goes too quickly and the job will still be waiting for us when we get back. So, how do we learn to "unplug" and enjoy the moment?
There are things you can do to insure you are truly on vacation and earning your well deserved rest. Here's just 3 ideas to help you:
Do your best to focus on the moment and put the people who are with you as a priority to re-connect with. Too many times we give our children half of our attention when they have something to tell us. Sure, we listen to their story but have our eyes glued to the computer or the mixing bowl we're preparing for dinner and forget to devote full attention to them. Don't make the mistake to forget how important it is to rest and enjoy the company of loved ones. If you know you're the type to read an email on the beach, then leave the blackberry in a locked hotel safe. Enjoy the beach with your family and then find a quiet moment in the evening to check in. There is a compromise but you owe it to yourself.
Before you leave on your vacation, make sure you have finished all projects or at least have it set up so someone else can wrap it up for you by following a list you left with directions. Make sure to tell the office, unless it's an emergency, don't email or text. Again, vacations only happen a few times a year, if we are lucky, and they fly by while our job is there day after day and it won't hurt anyone to pretend it's nonexistent during your holiday away.
Make every moment count. Whether it's a ride in the car or a snooze on the sand; make it special and promise yourself to indulge in the moment of R&R or you'll pay a price. For example, one family I know had a cue for when the dad would slip and move into "work Dad". If he had the urge to check his emails during family time, the buzz word would be "Fuddy Duddy Daddy". That was Dad's cue from his wife or kids to pay attention to them and forget that email. It actually worked and the Dad spent very little time on the hotel computer, realizing this was his time to "get away" and enjoy his family.
Maybe none of these suggestions are your idea for embracing your earned escape; but the message from this post is clear. Vacation time is supposed to be just that. It's for you, not your job. Leave the job at the office so you can fully recharge and when you return to the 9-5 time clock, you'll be better for it.
Memorial Day has come, signaling another summer. Be sure to find time to enjoy!
