The Power of Time Off

It's Monday, and the week may be looming large in front of you. The weekend was a mess of doing everything you should have done during the week but needed more time. Your calendar is overloaded with work projects, meetings, emails, and other tasks waiting to be done. To make matters worse, summer is quickly approaching, and you still need to submit your PTO requests, or you risk not getting them approved.?

The good news is that you are not alone. Recent studies show that 46% of Americans don't take any time off during the year for rest and recovery. 30% of our collective PTO remains unused, which adds up to more than 800M days a year. (source:?SHRM )

The bad news is that delaying or skipping your vacation does not help you, your team, or your organization.?

If done correctly, taking time away from work is healthy for everyone. Getting time to relax, reflect, and restore your body and mind is crucial to productivity and long-term success. This is true for all jobs, especially for high-stress roles. We tend not to take our time either because we fear that the work won't get done in our absence and create an unbearable workload upon return, the fear that we will be replaced by someone else while we are away, or maybe more importantly, nothing terrible will happen at all, or we lose our sense of self-worth because we aren't as vital as we thought we were.?

Regardless of the mental gymnastics, taking time away is vital for long-term health. Here are a couple of ways to maximize the time away.?

• Schedule it:?the more time you can plan in advance, the better the time away will be. Putting it on your calendar early will allow you (and others) to prepare for your absence. Studies show that a trip's anticipation almost equals the value of the trip itself.?
• Vacation or adventure??Some people like to go to one place and do nothing. Others prefer to see new sights and cities and take on new challenges. If traveling with others, make sure you know what you want and voice it.?You don't have to travel far or spend a lot of money to take time off. You may want to be home doing a "staycation" versus traveling to far-flung destinations.
• Prepare:?inform your team when you are out of the office and ensure your responsibilities are covered. This is a great time to review your standard operating procedures (SOPs) so the team knows the decision-making framework. It also helps to schedule a debrief before you leave to answer any outstanding questions.?
• Buffer:?Adding a buffer day before you leave and return will allow you to prepare for taking time off and returning to work mentally.?
• Notifications: Turn off your phone's notifications?while you are away. You can do this by putting your phone in airplane mode or silencing all but the essential notifications. You can even turn off your phone for a couple of hours (or days).?
• Reconnect:?is there a favorite hobby or project you have been waiting to do? Taking time off might be the perfect time to tackle it. Reconnecting with nature is also one of the best ways to destress. Going for a walk and seeing something new or exciting, even if it's your current neighborhood, helps.?
• Give Back:?You can use your time off to help others in need or visit someone you haven't seen in a while. Giving back to others has tremendous benefits that help recharge your social, mental, physical, and spiritual batteries.?

When you come back, the best thing you can do is acknowledge anyone who helped you take time off, including anyone who cared for your loved ones while you were away, took on extra work, or changed their schedule to accommodate your needs. You can even offer to do the same for them so that they can take some well-deserved time off.?

As a leader, ensuring your team takes their time off is crucial for success. The best leaders actively encourage and facilitate PTO for their team, asking about it during regular check-ins and removing obstacles to people taking time away. You should know when your team is taking off and have a plan to manage their responsibilities so that they can enjoy their time away and aren't worried about what is happening while they aren't there. It would help if you planned out certain times of the year, which tend to be more filled with time off requests, including spring break, graduation season, summer, and major holidays. Don't be the shocked or annoyed leader when an employee asks for time off during the holiday season. Be the one who supports, plans, and empowers people to take the time needed.?

Finally, when you return from your vacation, put the next one on the calendar as soon as possible. It will help remind you of your good times and increase your anticipation of the next one. Enjoy!!?

Conveniently, this is a PTO week for me, so I won't be checking messages or LinkedIn. In my absence, feel free to add your favorite ways to plan for a successful time away from work.