Work Free Vacations

Ah, it’s just beginning.  You can sense it now. Spring is about to be sprung.  Along with the melting snow, flowers slowly opening, and yards showing just a bit of green, it is also getting closer to time to think about vacation.

Have you been planning what you might take on your vacation?  Okay, raise your hand if in addition to your bathing suit, you plan to pack your laptop, PDA, or other ways to contact your work. While I obviously can’t see you, I imagine there are a few hands slowly being raised.

STOP!!!!! What do you think the word VACATION means?  Well, most dictionaries define it as “leisure time away from work.”  The key words here are “time AWAY from WORK. 

I don’t believe we do “away from work” very well in this country.  Having a daughter living in another country has taught me that not all cultures view vacations as we do in the States.  For example, when my daughter goes on vacation she’s not expected to answer her cell phone, call in to work, or check her emails.  Where she lives, it’s okay to “vacate” work for a period of time.

What about you? Can you go on a vacation and cut the umbilical cord that connects you to work?  If your answer isn’t yes, consider asking yourself the following:

What stops me from letting go of my work? 

It’s easy to believe we are so essential to our work that we can’t leave it.  For some of us, even being sick isn’t a good reason for not working; we just work at home.  But is your work really worth losing the benefits you gain by letting your mind and body really relax? Remember, work is just one part of your life.  Think about putting it down for awhile and pay attention to the others.

Would the world fall apart if I couldn’t be reached?

For some people, there are important reasons they MUST be reachable.  For most of us, however, it just a fear that everything would crumble to the ground if we took time away from work. Therefore, our need to keep in contact is more of a guilty SHOULD. Only you can figure out whether or not your need is a “should” or a “must.”  If it’s a “should”, then seriously consider leaving that gremlin behind.

What do I need to do to plan my vacation escape?

In the weeks before vacation, what can you do to make sure you DON’T need to check in with work?  Plan ahead.  Finish projects or delegate what you can’t get done to other people. Do the things that will make it possible for you to leave your work behind without guilt.

Consider these questions as you plan your vacation this year. For my part, I encourage you to put an “away message” on your laptop and then walk out the door. Once you leave, LET WORK GO and don’t look back! Give yourself permission to take a real vacation by taking “leisure time away from work.”