Leave It All Behind: Embrace the Power of Truly Unplugged Vacations

One Sunday, my friend Shivani, a busy, driven executive, invited us and some friends over for chicken on the grill and some relaxed weekend conversation. Her attention was caught by the sight of Harold, a golden Lab belonging to a guest, lounging in the sun, eyes closed, melting into the grass. Dreamily, she said, “That just looks divine to be lying there doing nothing, absolutely nothing. I’d love to do that.” Her husband leaned down to her ear and whispered, “Darling, I think that’s called a vacation.”?

Who needs a vacation? You probably do. Despite a surge in vacation travel this summer, in 2022, more than half of Americans (55 percent) didn’t use all of their paid time off—their PAID time off. We seem to be terrified of ignoring email and coming back to an avalanche. Or the power of vacation is not understood in our companies, something that befell my husband’s best friend, Drew, who had “built up” two weeks of vacation time and went to his boss to announce he was going. His boss said, “Two weeks? In a row?” Additionally, we often have few role models in leadership who value recuperation and leisure. The gap between what regular work feels like (hair on fire, crammed with activity) and leisure (a golden Lab melting into the grass) is too much of a stretch for us to relax.

But science shows vacation to be astoundingly restorative. Taking vacation time is essential to employee survival because it increases mindfulness, improves heart health, reduces stress, boosts brainpower, and improves sleep. A 2006 Ernst & Young internal study found that for each additional ten hours of vacation employees took, their year-end performance ratings improved by 8 percent. Two-thirds of workers report feeling more creative and productive after a vacation, and those who do take a vacation have stronger bonds with their coworkers and more loyalty to their company.

Yet to fully reap these benefits, I stand firm that we must break work ties completely. A vacation should transport your mind progressively further away from work as each day goes by. Many disconnect halfway—checking email once or twice a day—but that’s a bit like being half pregnant or like driving from New York to LA but feeling the need to go back every few hours and check on New York just to make sure it doesn’t need you. Vacation is an experience that gives you a feeling of separation and objectivity—where you have distance from your life (and your work.) That distance requires, well, distance.?

It’s not easy for everyone to give themselves this gift, so here are a few tactics that make getting away and fully disconnecting easier. The following ideas will calm the FOMO and anxiety you may feel from wondering what’s happening without you.

Trust your backup: Assign a reliable colleague to manage your responsibilities while you’re away. Make a decision to trust that your team can function without you for a short while. The hard part is to truly trust your backup—to unhook each and every little suction cup in your brain that is latched onto work and to let go. Do it. Let go. I promise you, you will not return to a boarded-up building with a sign saying, “Gone out of business. Steve Taylor took a vacation.”

Block a reentry day: This is a designated full day (some even need two) with only reentry activities planned. Schedule a meeting with your backup. Work through the reverse handoff in detail so nothing falls through the cracks. Schedule a sufficient block of time for you to go through your inbox. Schedule check-ins with your boss and/or colleagues to get updates. Make sure the entire day is visibly and clearly blocked with reentry tasks. Talk to your manager about your plan when you have your vacation approved. This will give you a relaxing period to reengage and catch up while fortifying your confidence to disconnect in the future.?

Write your OOO intentionally: Make your autoresponder further the mission of your restoration. No apologies or excuses—just big, clear, bodacious boundaries. Add some levity or warmth and model complete disconnection for others. Encourage your backup to reach out to you only in extreme emergencies.

Be available but not connected: And speaking of emergencies, there’s a huge difference between telling your team you can be available by phone for a true need versus staying digitally connected daily. Running a small company without many layers of backup, I personally find this critical. Once in a blue moon, my team is really unable to proceed through a problem or opportunity without a quick word from me. This is real life, after all. If they need to use the phone (not any other medium) to call once, it won’t break my sense of departure because I will remain pristinely disconnected (from my digital channels.)

Relax forgivingly: Don’t feel bad if true relaxation is a very hard gear to slip into. You’ve been gorging at the dopamine buffet for so long that your body has likely forgotten how. Just keep letting the tension drain from your face and jaw, taking baby steps into fun activities (even if you just know that intellectually,) and don’t forget to bring some FICTION!!

In summary, don’t just take a vacation. Take an unplugged vacation. Reap the benefits of truly disconnecting, and bring back a refreshed, more creative, more productive version of yourself to the workplace. You’ve earned it.

So why not start planning your next vacation now? Take a vacation—all the way! You REALLY deserve it.

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