Sometimes it can be quite difficult to relax when you get some time off and go for a holiday. Well, the whole idea of a vacation is to get away from your daily grind, and de-stress. It is the perfect time for you to get away from it all and recharge, so that when you return, you can be more invigorated than ever before. Unfortunately, many people find it hard to disconnect from work and enjoy their holiday to the fullest. In this article, we are going to give you 9 ways to switch off while on vacation:
- Make a decision to fully enjoy yourself – You have worked hard, saved even harder, and you deserve the time off. Moreover, returning to work worried and stressed will not be very productive so choose to take time off and enjoy it. By doing so, you will return to work bright eyed, energized and ready to take on the world.
- Do not feel guilty about going on vacation – Your vacation entitlement is just as much a part of your work package as your pension or salary. Not taking a vacation is more like taking a pay cut. You should remind yourself that your employers want you to take the vacation, because you will return more refreshed, recharged and even better able to do your duties.
- Set up a vacation email address – It’s usually hard to avoid work emails when on vacation. Moreover, checking emails can be quite addictive, even while on vacation. If you keep checking your emails while on holiday, you’ll not properly enjoy your time off. So, consider setting up a different email account during vacations. You can share the vacation email address with those you really want to keep in touch with while on holiday.
- Set up an email auto responder – If you must check your work emails while on holiday, try and limit yourself to no more than 2 times a day. For example, you can check your emails in the morning and/or in the evening. Alternatively, you can set up an email auto responder to let your customers know you will not be available for a certain period of time. By doing this, they will know not to bother you, and when to expect a reply. This saves you from getting worried about unanswered emails.
- Sign out or switch off any work related notifications – Apart from setting up an email auto responder, you can go ahead and sign out or switch off any work related social media accounts so that you aren’t bombarded with all kinds of notifications during your vacation.
- Resist temptation to check in – You should trust that your work mates are capable, and that the office will contact you if they really really need you.
- Pack only personal devices – Smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are usually associated with work. Taking these devices with you will tempt you into using them every spare moment you get. The easiest way of separating work from “play,” is by leaving your work laptop and work phone behind.
- Try new things or activities – Holidays are a great time to try out something new. Consider trying something that you cannot normally do like scuba diving. Trying new things will help you break out of the normal routine and live in the moment.
- Be creative – Vacation is a great time to sit back and relax, but it is also the perfect time to get you creative juices flowing more freely. If you happen to come up with a brilliant business idea while on vacation, simply write it down and get back to relaxing.