How to Make the Most of Vacation Time

How to Make the Most of Vacation Time

I am preparing to take a much-needed vacation and in doing so, I am trying to figure out how to disconnect and recharge. According to a study from Project: Time Off, the average time a worker takes per year is now 17.2 days and more than half didn’t use all of their allotted days. That’s a shame, but the survey also notes that those who take a break are often more productive while they work and are more apt to be creative during their down time.

I don’t really need to be convinced to take vacation, but in order to receive the restorative benefits, I need to be more mindful of how I will comport myself while away. Like many Americans of a certain age, I have fallen into the habit of constantly checking my e-mail. This is partially due to an old pattern that I established when I was in a client business.

While I no longer have clients, the media industry makes me a slave to the news cycle, which in turn keeps me tethered to email. Perhaps most importantly, I am compulsive about keeping my inbox cleared out, even when it would probably be more time efficient to simply let it pile up, even if just for a day. I tried that approach after interviewing Tim Harford, author of Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives, but fell off the wagon after a couple of weeks.

One problem with my current habit is that it also sucks me back into work, when I should be getting a break, even if just for the night. According to the latest data from the Labor Department's American Time Use Survey, Americans ages 35 to 44 are on average working 5 hours and 13 minutes each day. That may be just an average, but I am definitely logging more time working that that!

Digging deeper into the survey, I found one area where I am falling short: sleep. Americans are now sleeping 8 hours and 48 minutes daily (including naps), whereas I struggle to get 7 hours. So while on vacation, I am going to attempt to shift time spent with email to sleep!

After talking to colleagues and productivity experts, here’s my to-do list to better manage my time off. Feel free to shoot me a note to provide more tips!

Two Weeks Before Vacation:

  • Communicate with bosses and co-workers. I sent an email to (and then followed up with) TV and radio producers and bookers, with my vacation dates and also noted that if something big occurred (i.e. a stock market drop of more than 4 percent in a single day), they should contact me by phone, not email.
  • Prepare a detailed list of what needs to be ready to go. I need to pre-record a bunch of radio pieces and also have to write at least two weeks of these columns before I head out of town.

T-Minus One Week: Develop a plan. When I first told my producer that I was not going to check email while on vacation, he scoffed and said, “You’re never going to do that. Why don’t you try something more realistic, like once a day?” Good idea. I’ll check each morning and then, that’s it!

Day Before Vacation: Set up a detailed out-of-office reply, alerting everyone that I’m off -- and that I’m not checking email frequently. I will also provide a contact person, who may be able to assist while I’m out.

Vacation Mode: Turn off notifications and head to the beach!

Suzanne Selby

Vice President of Executive, Internal and M&A Communications at NTT DATA North America

6y

Good tips. It is hard to disconnect, but so important!

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Johanna Bassols

Non-Fiction Author. Specialist in the semantics of consciousness. Founder of Healers of the Light, healing academy. Author of The Power of the Elevation of Consciousness series.

6y

going alone

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Kristen Fisher

Your vacation expert. I make the planning process easy and stress free so you can take a deserving break.

6y

Great, actionable tips for preparing for vacation. Thanks for sharing.

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Jong Han ( John ) Lee

Steel import, whole sales in North America

6y

Eye shopping shelters  to hunt  gorgeous and marvelous castles on earth.

That is so relaxing just to look at the picture. Thank you for sharing, David. Although, I'd move the chairs into the shade. ...probably a sign, I need a vacation.

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