Why disconnecting on vacation is more important than ever

Have you ever gone on that much-deserved vacation but spent pretty much the whole time checking your work email, or Slack, or even worse, pulling up your computer to get shit done? I know I've been there. Especially having spent the first 8 years of my career working the US. The funny thing is that no one has ever said "thanks" when I've returned to the office.

I'll never forget in the start of my career when I was working as a Marketing Manager at Louis Vuitton Americas in New York, I took one week off. That's right, 5 days, to go to Canada with my boyfriend at the time and his family. I distinctly remember that we were having a great time, but about 2 days into the trip, I started feeling guilty about not knowing what was going on at work...so, I did it. I pulled up my Blackberry (yes, I'm dating myself here), turned it on, and started looking at my emails. It took about 20 seconds for my heart to sink and to feel a lump in my throat. Naturally, there was nothing life shattering to deal with. After all, the company sold leather goods, we were not saving lives. What could possibly happen that would require my attention while I was on my 5-day holiday? Nothing, it was absolutely all in my head. I'll never forget how those few seconds impacted my vacation.

I went on to work for another 10 years with the same approach to vacationing. Only I learned how to not let it get to me. I'd check my emails, usually not reply unless absolutely necessary for the advancement of the project, but it wouldn't get me down. At least, not while I was on vacation. I'd usually feel the grim lump in my throat when vacation was coming to an end and it was time to get back to work, only to realize that I was doing it all to myself. No one to thank me for my effort despite being off, and no one to fire me had I actually taken my deserved time off. We put this fake pressure on ourselves, but it's also created by the society we live in and the company culture of the companies we work for. It's a vicious circle that takes the greatest of disciplined minds to break.

Thank god for #generationz ! Learning about this heart-felt, purpose-led, and values-driven generation, I have taken a lot from them. This generation and the incredible company culture at DX have empowered me to take my 2 week vacation, and fully disconnect from work. That's right, I took 2 full weeks, and not only did I disconnect, but I didn't feel guilt or pressure to do it any other way. Plus, this was our long overdue honeymoon (the one that was cancelled during covid), so it felt like now or never to truly experience this vacation full force.

What does disconnecting mean in this case?

1. Social Media detox: I removed Instagram because I wanted to be in the present. I use Instagram as a sort of digital album that I like going back to when I feel nostalgic or want to see people and places I love. But Instagram can also suck you in and pull you out of enjoying your life, appreciating what you have, and simply, living in the present. So I usually remove the app while on vacation and then put it back when I get home and do my post-vacation content sharing.
2. Disconnection from work: We are not a heavy email-cultured company, so it was more important that I avoid Slack than email. I didn't go on Slack except once to share a photo, but I managed not to look at any of the alerts or messages. We had a big launch and my husband supported us by wearing some company gear so I wanted to share that with the team in our #travel channel. It felt great to be on the other side of the world, supporting a big launch in a ludic and fun way.

If I had to recap why disconnecting while on vacation is so important, I'd highlight the below 4 reasons:

To live in the moment. This seems simple yet is probably something our society struggles with the most. If we're not thinking about the past, we're focused on the future. It's truly rare to take a deep breath and focus on the present. I know that I'm already thinking about what school I'll send my daughter to next September, what are we doing for the end of year holidays this year, where are we vacationing in summer 2023, and that's just the personal life of the spectrum. At work, it goes quite similarly: what are my 2023 priorities? What will I do for that big event in the end of April? And so on. Living in the present is harder than ever today, which makes it that much more important to disconnect when vacationing.

To fully enjoy and connect with the experience you're going through. This is similar to living the present but it takes things to the next level. In Thailand, we had so many experiences that were rich and unique, and so incredibly different from the way people live in Europe. Disconnecting allowed me to also immerse myself in the experiences and truly appreciate them. When riding in a Tuk Tuk in Chiang Mai, at every stop light, people on scooters would come up from every angle and all would be on their phones, mostly on Instagram while waiting for the light to turn green. Would I have noticed if I myself was on my phone? Or if my mind was focused on a work email? Probably not. And that's not the most exciting example, but it's one that struck me.

To have spontaneous inspiration and come back with the best ideas. Spontaneous inspiration. I wanted to write it again, because it's so important in marketing and in life. When we take a step back from our day-to-day and move our heads out of our phones, we can just be. And it's when we are just being that an incredible idea might pop into our minds. Pair this with a new lush scenery, in a country filled with exotic plants, food, and smiles, and the possibilities for ideas are endless. One idea I came back with is inspired by a hotel we stayed in on the island of Koh Jum, where each room had a bag dedicated to beach clean up. The hotel would pick up the bag daily. We live 10 minutes from the beach and cleaning up is not a systematic effort, so we decided to come back with a bag dedicated to the effort. It's silly how having a dedicated accessory can motivate you to do something regularly, but in our case, it became obvious.

To have the chance to think about whether or not what you do makes you happy. Taking a step back is extremely important to pulse-check your own happiness. A change of scenery can be the perfect time to do that, but only if you disconnect. I had the joy of realizing for the first time in my career that I was not returning to work with a lump in my throat. I felt excited by the idea of getting back to work, catching up on Slack, and seeing my colleagues. Maybe it's the fact that our company culture encourages disconnection when on vacation, or maybe it's the company culture overall of approaching how work fits into our lives rather than the other way around. Either way, I'm grateful to be where I am today, and that's a nice feeling to end a vacation with.

Let's be honest, no one ever wants to leave paradise and go back to work, but the journey can be that much easier if you take the time to disconnect and give yourself the time you deserve.