Go on holiday and log out

I want to talk to you about holidays.

I’ve recently come back from a fabulous time in the US. I spent time in the countryside and then in one of my favourite cities, New York. The first part of the trip was in a gorgeous town called Hudson, in upstate New York, which is about two hours from Manhattan. It’s a good place for New Yorkers to go to unwind for the weekend.

At breakfast one morning, I met a lovely woman who was doing just that. She has a very high-powered job, and we were talking about how, with mobile phones and constant email access, it feels like there is no getting away from work anymore. She had left her office at 3 pm on Friday and, on Sunday morning, she showed me her phone. In that time, she had received 628 emails, mostly messages in which she had been copied in by her colleagues.

We are a similar age, and we reminisced about the good old days when we still worked hard and long hours, but when you went away on holiday, you didn’t hear about work until you returned, refreshed and raring to go again.

Whatever you do for a living, it’s really important to take time for yourself away from the workplace. I do realise that, particularly if you are freelance or have your own business, the lines between work and play can become blurred. However, there is a difference between work being a passion and it being a burden.

You may worry about being seen to take time off and then, when you do, feel that you should remain in constant contact.

Sir Cary Cooper, 50th Anniversary Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Alliance Manchester Business School, has suggested that people can feel compelled to check in even when they do not intend to work. They then find an email that appears to need an answer and are quickly drawn back in. This desire to remain in touch can be driven by insecurity, the need to feel valuable, and the status sometimes associated with appearing to be a workaholic.

He has also challenged the idea that we are indispensable at work. If something happens to us, the organisation will continue; it is our family and friends who regard us as indispensable.

When you think of it like that, it shows you what is really important.

If you are planning to take some time off, here are some tips to ensure that you really do get some time away from it all, even if you haven’t actually gone away.

8 tips to get some time away 

1. Tell people in advance

Colleagues, bosses and clients will understand that you want, and need, to have time off. Once you have planned your dates, tell everybody who needs to know, well in advance, that you are going to be away. It’s less stressful to warn them than for them to find out once you’ve gone.

2. Prepare before you leave

Before you go, finish as much work as you can and leave a status update explaining what stage each of your projects has reached. Arrange to delegate any work that needs to be done while you are away.

3. Set an out-of-office message

Write an out-of-office email outlining your holiday dates. Give the names and contact details of the colleagues who will be covering your work.

Do not put your personal mobile number in this email. If there is a genuine reason someone may need to contact you urgently, agree on a suitable emergency contact route with the relevant people before you leave.

4. Limit how often you check your messages

I’m not going to ask you to go cold turkey and not check your emails, but if you must check them while you are away, be strict with yourself.

Only check your messages once a day, ideally towards the end of the day, as in the morning you may be more inclined to engage and reply – although I appreciate that you may have to factor in time differences.

As the holiday goes on and you get into a more relaxed mood, try leaving the checking for a little longer. Could you check every few days, perhaps?

5. Keep necessary responses clear

If you have to respond, try to give clear instructions rather than starting a new chain of questions. Otherwise, you are encouraging back-and-forth replies. Clear instructions also allow your colleagues to progress with tasks rather than waiting to hear what to do.

6. Keep things in perspective

Try to get some perspective around this. You are not indispensable. While you are away, people will cover for you, just as you cover for them when they go away. Taking a holiday does not mean that somebody is going to take your job.

7. Ask what is making it difficult to switch off

If you find being on holiday stressful and want to check in with work all the time, ask yourself what is driving that feeling. It may be your workload, workplace expectations, difficulty setting boundaries, habit, anxiety about being away or something happening outside work.

Understanding the reason can help you decide what needs to change.

8. Be present

When you are on holiday, you owe it to yourself and to your family and friends to be present and live in the moment.

So, relax and enjoy yourself!