See if this fits your experience:
Once you’ve scheduled a vacation you go nuts preparing and “working ahead.”
While you’re on vacation, you’re tethered to your iPhone, PDA or computer for the ostensible purpose of “just checking in.”
By the time you relax from getting ready for your vacation, you are half way through it.
You start to stress prior to your return because you know you’ll go nuts “catching up.”
Crazy isn’t it? And pretty normal, based on my own experience and that of my friends.
Is there an alternative to the typical vacation? Here are a few ideas for your consideration:
- Prepare a little further in advance by collecting and packing what you need to avoid the last minute panic.
- Clarify what you’ve hired the vacation to do: allow for pure relaxation? Thrill you with amusement? Provide scenic viewing? The more different things you try to cram in the less likely you’ll enjoy any of them fully.
- Spend more time learning about the place you’re going and planning on what you’d like to do when you get there.
- Leave some space in your vacation schedule. You’ll need it.
- Differentiate what has to be done, what needs to be done and what doesn’t need to be done while you’re gone. Most things fall into the last category.
- Make sure your customers and colleagues know who can help (if urgent) during your absence.
- Make sure your customers and colleagues know what “urgent” means.
- Frame up your technology use. If you are brave and want the best vacation, eliminate it. If you really must, then limit how often and how long you’ll use technology to “check in” or whatever else you rationalize must be done.
- Be with whom you are with.
- Be where you are.
- If you don’t understand the last two ideas, I can’t help you.
- Ease back into the routine. Don’t destroy whatever benefits of the vacation you enjoyed by insisting on being caught up your first day back.
How have I arrived at these suggestions? From doing the exact opposite. But hey, I’m learning.
