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There’s something about coming back from a great vacation that feels like the New Year. You’re re-charged, energized to affect change and resolved to do more, be better for yourself, others, clients, THE WORLD!
And then you get into the office and the internet isn’t working and discover things basically in shambles with an in box so full of emails it’s bursting at the digital seams.
For me the biggest thing in dealing with all of this madness is just the change in attitude. We often forget that rest is an intricate part of excelling at work, handling a jam-packed schedule and percolating great ideas. Sometimes you have to step away from your professional life to realize that you are in fact burnt out. And acknowledging the problem is the first step…Then you have to actually do something about it. WALK AWAY!
For me, stepping away is difficult. Even when I want to, that nagging little voice in my head says in its seductive whisper, “Check your Blackberry email.” And lo, there is something I must respond to.
But after about 72 hours away, the urge begins to subside, that little voice gets more distant. Then that magical moment happens, I realize that I feel relaxed, untethered to my responsibilities and light (although with all the shrimp enchiladas, chips and guacamole and cheeseburgers that’s not literal) . My mother-in-law is right when she says you have to get in the groove to be on vacation.
And once you’re in the groove a beautiful thing happens — inner professional peace/I forgot I have a job.
Now, my first day back all harried with incidents like the freaking internet not working and a mass pile-up of email, I still find that I have a stamina, tolerance and revived sense of purpose that was seriously flagging before my summer vacation.
The point my friends is simply this: it’s not more work that’s better, it’s good work that’s better. Good work is most often produced by rested, balanced individuals. Today, I am one of those lucky individuals…talk to me next Monday and it might be a different story.
Long story longer, the Europeans have it right with their six weeks of vacation. Who knows how much more we might get done and what great ideas might be produced if we had some more down time?
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Comments
08.12.08
I always assumed that people in the US tended to work longer and harder because we had more freedom to choose our jobs.
Sure, it's rare that we get to follow our passion. But in the US, anyone can get a college education(if they can pay for it). Work hard, do a good job, and you can pretty much work where you want.
Overseas, you are much more bound by class and tradition. There is not as much opportunity. So people need that vacation because the job is just that, a job.
I could be wrong of course. My wife often tells me that (in the nicest possible way).
08.12.08
@Scott I think Americans work so hard so that in 40 years they can sit back and say that it was worth it. I happen to think that it isn't, so do the other Americans who always rank in the teens when the country happiness rankings come out.
08.12.08
I wouldn't even limit it to vacation time. More maternity leave, more sick time, more time to take care of family members in need of assistance.
Work is important, but it's not everything. And the other things take time, too. Surely it would help many people be more productive at work if they knew there was support for when they needed to be elsewhere.
08.12.08
My best vacation was one where I took two full weeks off. Since I had a manager who was an "always on" type, I took the vacation out of state and with no communication ability back to work.
Starting on about Thursday of the first week, where you realize you still have another week to go, you get into this completely relaxed mode.
Did they survive back at work without me? Of course. No one is indispensable to a corporation. We just fool ourselves into thinking so.
Nice going.
08.14.08
Hallelujah for your insight, Robyn! Work is not supposed to be a dirty, four-letter word. And vacation? It's a time to relax and renew. I remember when I was in management consulting. I had 4 weeks of vacation per year. Once, I took three of those to go to Chile and Argentina. It took me nearly a week, even in a foreign country, to resist the urge to check my email. I didn't bring my tech toys with me. But finally, week 2, I felt human. Week 3, I felt like a new person. And then, I had to go back to work. It was the beginning of the end. I didn't like being an automaton, working all the time. I didn't want to be a lazy bum, either, but I knew it was time for a new way of working.
BTW, you might like to know about the "Take Back Your Time" initiative, that's about taking back your vacation. Check it out at www.timeday.org
Cheers!
Dr. Susan Bernstein, Founder
Work from Within AND The Job Search Gym
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