Making the most of your holiday

With the summer holiday season coming up in Europe I wanted to share some expert advice on how you can actually enjoy your time off, and return to work feeling recharged. I have curated sound advice from experts (details below) that may help if you, like many of my clients, feel exhausted. Here's what the experts advise:

Before you do anything

There is a sweet spot in terms of how much planning is beneficial, I am learning. Winging it completely may leave you at a loss of what to do with your time. You end up fretting about wasting your precious time off. Before you know it, your holiday will be over and all you've done is worry and try your hardest to "just relax". How are you supposed to simply switch off? At the other extreme is planning every hour of every day. When you do that, you are more likely to have done something active, but less likely to have enjoyed it. Part of your brain is ticking something off the to-do list, rather than immersing itself into the activity.

What's most beneficial, then, is a modicum of planning for what you're going to do on holiday and for how you are going to cover for your absence at work.  

Planning your holiday

Adjusting from a hectic pace and an addictive drive to get things done to a slower way of living where you are meant to enjoy the moment can be quite a shock to the system. What do you do with all that time?

Common wisdom has it that you have to completely switch off during time off to be able to relax. Elke Van Hoof suggests this doesn't necessarily hold true. She suggests that, if worry about not being available at all freaks you out, the better approach can be to plan time when you will handle specific work tasks or calls. An IT Director told me that he used to do this: he would take the equipment necessary to intervene on the corporate network and be available for calls for 1 hour every day. He found that he was rarely disturbed, but the knowledge that work could get hold of him if they absolutely had to, gave him peace of mind. But do stay within the boundaries you've set for yourself, warns Cassie Shortsleeve in Time: put away the work phone outside of your chosen work window.

Another tactic that can help ease you into a slower pace of living is to build some structure into your holiday, according to Van Hoof. Think ahead of one thing that you will do each day: visit someone or some place, map out a specific activity such as a cycle ride or a walk, book a restaurant - pick something you would like to do. Having one thing planned, it turns out, is the sweet spot: it provides an anchor point for your day so the part of you that is used to a planned day can get comfortable. It leaves the rest of the day free to improvise and enjoy in the moment.

Every source recommends you be active outdoors if you truly want to relax. Again you don't have to plan a gruelling physical challenge. Just go outside and get moving. Exercise is good for body and mind, and nature inspires awe. Awe, as Brene Brown puts it, leads people to cooperate, share resources, and sacrifice for others; it causes them to fully appreciate the value of others and see themselves more accurately, evoking humility. Some researchers even believe that awe-inducing events may be one of the fastest and most powerful methods of personal change and growth.

Prepare your workplace

Holiday structure in place, it's time to prepare your workplace for your absence. Aim to pull a plan together two-three weeks ahead of your time away.

The first question is what can wait until your return, and what absolutely can't. For the things that can wait, think through what you can realistically still move forward before you go. Update the key stakeholders. Reassure them the topic is still very much on your radar and under control.

For the things that absolutely cannot stop while you are away the question is: who can handle the must-dos in your absence? Should they be referred up, or is it an opportunity for one of your trusted team members or peers to show what they can do? What do your backfills need to be able to handle things? This HBR article has you covered if you want to delve deeper.

Back to work!

With all this in place the last thing to consider is what you can do ahead of time to hold onto that chill feeling for longer upon your return. Again a little bit of planning can help ease you back rather than being deluged upon your return to work.

Before you go, plan your first week back: who must you catch up with in that first week? Book time with them. Everyone else can wait till week 2. Then block focused time for you to catch up with your inbox, and give your team and your manager a heads up on your plan. Don't be tempted to give it up in the moment either: stick to your plan. Turn off notifications during your focused time. 

To extend the relaxing effects of your holiday even longer, continue to plan active time outdoors. Even if it's just on weekends.

With that I wish you a relaxing holiday!

This article is based on the following sources, with thanks:

Elke Van Hoof, Professor at VUB - as quoted in a VRT NWS article (in Dutch) “Hoe haal je het maximum uit je vakantie”

Elizabeth Grace Saunders in HBR article “How to take the stress out of taking time off” 

Cassie Shortsleeve in Time article “How to take a relaxing vacation without stressing about work”

 Brene Brown, Atlas of the Heart