I love summer! There鈥檚 the feel of beach sand between your toes. There鈥檚 the smell of burgers on the grill. There鈥檚 the chorus of oohs and aahs during a fireworks display. And, lest I forget, it鈥檚 when baseball season kicks into high gear! With schools on break, sunny weather, and numberless options for fun, summer is the quintessential season for a vacation. This means it may be an opportunity to step away from your work for some needed relaxation.
Recreational time off from a job isn鈥檛 a luxury 鈥� it鈥檚 a necessity. Today鈥檚 quest for productivity often infringes on self-care. Your wellbeing, though, shouldn鈥檛 be sacrificed as a result. If you鈥檙e a salaried worker and a vacation is afforded to you, take advantage and use it! Make it a time to reconnect with your loved ones. You may travel or you could stay close to home. It doesn鈥檛 matter. Just take an adequate time to break 鈥� physically and mentally 鈥� and recharge.
If you鈥檙e a leader, take those steps to prevent your people from burning out. Strongly encourage them to take time off. And they should feel comfortable when they do so. Have processes in place to facilitate planned absences. The effect will be a worker that leaves at ease and returns at ease. Leaders, too, must model this by taking a proper vacation themselves. If leaders aren鈥檛 willing to have time off, it sends a garbled message and leaves team members vacationing with doubt or reluctance.
When vacation begins, it needs to be a tangible break. No one should spend their time away dreading how tall their incoming tray will be upon getting back. This is something I emphasize to my people. I tell them to go and be at peace, to not worry about work. I want them to understand that when it鈥檚 time to return to the office, there鈥檚 an expectation they鈥檒l be at their best 鈥� focused and ready to go. I believe vacation time that鈥檚 well spent often sparks a renewed sense of appreciation and meaning at work.
So, slather on some sunscreen. Go for a swim. Visit a national park. Pick up that book you鈥檝e been meaning to read. Sleep in. A real vacation doesn鈥檛 necessarily require covering a lot of geographic distance, but there should be detachment from the workplace. Vow to not peek at e-mail. Aim for no unnecessary smartphone use. You鈥檒l return to work rested, clearheaded, and prepared to get after it again. With a refreshed spirit, healthier productivity will resume. Happy summer!