Striving to “Chil-lax to the Max” on Vacation

Too often on family vacations, I’ve been guilty of falling into the “workcation” trap. Checking my phone, answering emails, taking calls. It’s a constant struggle to disconnect, stay present with my family and not drift into work thoughts. And, I bet most of you have felt the same way.

This year, I wanted to do better. My family wanted me to do better. And while I was joking with my kids at the beginning of our two-week family vacation, I gave myself an over-the-top new nickname to reinforce my aspiration: “Chil-lax to the Max.”

Let’s visualize it – you finally make it out of the office, arrive at your destination, and settle in for some uninterrupted quality time with your family – hopefully mixed with the opportunity to rest (if you have kids, you know that this can be an effort in and of itself…). But your phone keeps buzzing and emails are piling up in your inbox. You can’t help yourself, so you peer down at your phone, get lost in the moment and take a minute (…or five) to respond to just a few messages. Before you know it, you’ve agreed to join a conference call later that day. Sound familiar?

To avoid the “workcation” trap during this recent family vacation, I decided to be purposeful and made it a point to try to disconnect and use the time to relax and reboot.

So, how did I do it? Here are a few simple things I found effective:

1. Check email only once per day: In the past, the fear of missing out at work created an impediment to being in the moment. So, this year I only checked email once a day, either early in the AM or late PM. I also tried to only respond to what I deemed “mission-critical” emails that couldn’t wait for my return.
2. Turn off email notifications: Before I left for vacation, I told my teams that if something urgent does pop up, to text me. This gave me the peace of mind to turn off my email notifications and freed me from the temptation of checking my inbox more than once a day.
3. Identify “vacation back-ups”: To make sure I wasn’t holding up any projects or deliverables while away, I asked leaders on my team to cover for me and be responsible for addressing tasks that I would normally handle.

The truth is, there is no silver bullet to avoiding “workcations.” I do not always abide by my own rules and there were a few moments during the trip when I did not live up to my “Chil-lax to the Max” nickname. But, the key is to always strive to do a bit less. Making a few small changes allowed me to be less distracted by work and more fully present with my family.

Give it a try on your next vacation – I bet the people you’re with will thank you.