Recharge to full before each use...

The wheels falling off

Now’s about the time of the year when the wheels begin to fall off. I’ve experienced it myself, seen it in our team, and even noticed it in seasoned business leaders. The cause? Ineffective use of paid time off (PTO).

Across many industries - recruitment and headhunting being prime examples - not taking PTO was once worn as a badge of honor.

“Vacation? That’s what Sundays are for!”.

In organizations where taking time to rest and recharge being discouraged is a top down culture, a pressure cooker environment is created and, eventually, things go pop. People leave the business or even exit the industry entirely.

But often, the wheels fall off simply because people just plain forget to make time to take time.

Symptoms

Everyday life, in and out of work, depletes our batteries. Like previous generation cellphone batteries, if we don’t recharge all the way to 100% our efficiency drops. We may think we’re getting more done spending more hours at the grindstone, but what's actually happening is we're investing our precious time tokens into a false economy. Without proper rest, we’re perpetually running at a lower efficiency.

Keeping the wheels on

The two pieces of advice I swear by and always give to our crew are:

1. Always have something scheduled to look forward to.
2. Plan at least two proper blocks of time off each year, ideally a week each (assuming the Christmas holidays are already taken care of).

You’d be surprised at the positive impact that always having something to look forward to can have on your psyche. These don't need to be long weekends in Paris or expensive beach villa getaways. It can be as simple as a day off to enjoy your favorite hobby or spend meaningful time with a family member. Anything pre-planned and in the schedule, to do something that makes you happy, does the trick.

Planning out at least two blocks of time each year is also an important strategy. As above, these don’t need to be expensive getaways – some of my most refreshing breaks have been staycations getting out on the bike or being a tourist in my own town. What’s important is having more than a day or two where, in a world where everyone is online at all times, you’re considered offline from work and are solely focused on yourself and your loved ones.

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Making time to take time

Making time to take time is an effort in and of itself, which does sound counterintuitive, but the investment can pay off a hundred-fold. In my c. 14 years of doing the job, there are still times when I catch myself with nothing to look forward to and no week-long break in sight. Over time, I’ve learnt to catch and get ahead of burnout symptoms earlier than Dan of old, preventing the wheels from falling off......or at the very least getting the odd one or two back on as soon as they do come off.

So, run a quick audit on yourself. What’s the next thing you have scheduled to look forward to and when’s the next week-long break?