I’ve written a few times over the years about the importance of taking vacations, having true down time, and the elusive work-life balance. Talking with one of my mentees this morning and one of my daughters
last night, I was reminded of how important vacations and time away from work can be. Especially for young families where working parents are constantly on the go between their work, their kids’ activities, and basic home life. Packing and getting ready for vacation both at work and at home becomes one more stressor.
I’m a big proponent of taking a vacation where you shut work off completely and let others cover for you and delegate as much as possible. But I know that’s not always possible. And shutting off completely may cause some people even more anxiety. My approach and advice in those situations are to “timebox” an email session each morning (30-60 minutes max) before everyone else gets going for the day. Review the high priority/time sensitive emails and respond only if required. At a minimum, by reading them you will be aware of what’s happening. Don’t get into an email exchange that will carry into the day. Ignore the non-urgent or non-important ones. Delete what you can.
With you and your colleagues taking vacations at different times over the summer months, it can be difficult to keep certain projects and initiatives moving forward. Try not to have everyone dependent on you such that something must come to a halt until you return. In healthcare, we can’t shut the organization down for a week while everyone takes a vacation. I can understand why small companies who can do just that in fact do it – often around July 4th or between end of year holidays.
On this eve of July 4th, while I watch the news and worry about our democracy, I wish you all a happy and safe July 4th weekend and a fabulous summer vacation whenever you decide to take it!
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