Episode 113
How to Disconnect While On Holiday
This week on The Career Confidence Podcast, I'm talking about how to disconnect from work while you are on holiday.
Key Takeaways:
- Planning and preparation before your holiday can significantly improve your ability to relax.
- Establish clear boundaries regarding work communication while on holiday to truly disconnect.
- Engage in activities that are different from your normal routine to get a deeper sense of relaxation and enjoyment.
- Taking time off allows you to get perspective and return to work refreshed and more productive.
About Nicola Semple
I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals.
You can book a free no-obligation chat about how I can support you to achieve your career goals: https://nicolasemple.com/chat
You can get my free guide "Back Yourself: Your 7 Step Plan to Build Confidence and Achieve Your Career Goals": https://nicolasemple.com/backyourself
You can buy my book The Career Confidence Toolkit: Take Control of Your Career and Fulfil Your Potential: https://nicolasemple.com/book
Connect with me on Linked In to carry on the conversation: https://linkedin.com/in/iamnicolasemple
A new episode of The Career Confidence Podcast is released every second Friday. Hit the subscribe button and you will be the first to know when a new episode goes live.
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker B:Hello and welcome to the Career Confidence Podcast where we explore how you can build your career with confidence in this ever changing world.
Speaker B:Hello, I'm your host Nicholas Semple, a career and confidence coach and author of the Career Confidence Toolkit.
Speaker B:I want to extend a very warm welcome to the first of our summer sessions.
Speaker B:Now, our summer sessions are where you get the opportunity to listen to some gold dust from the Career Confidence content archives and I get to have a much needed break from recording over the holiday period.
Speaker B:So the first of our summer sessions was first released a couple of years.
Speaker A: Ago in the summer of: Speaker B:In this episode I'm talking about how to switch off from work when you're on holiday.
Speaker B:Revisiting this episode has actually given me some tips that I know that I need to take on board myself.
Speaker B:It has been a hugely busy year for me both personally and professionally and I want to make sure that when I do head off on holidays in a couple of weeks time that I.
Speaker A:Can spend time with my family.
Speaker B:I can be fully present and really.
Speaker A:Enjoy the time that we've got together.
Speaker B:And I want that for you too.
Speaker B:So have a listen for yourself and please do drop me an email nicolaikolasimple.com and let me know which of these tips you're going to take on board.
Speaker A:And implement for yourself.
Speaker A:It's early July and in the UK many people are starting to think about taking some time off over the summer months to spend time with family and friends and have an opportunity for some much needed rest and relaxation.
Speaker A:So many people that I talk to are craving that rest and relaxation.
Speaker A:We've all been on quite the roller coaster over the last few years with COVID For many people it's been about adjusting to hybrid working and we're also managing the uncertainty of a cost of living crisis.
Speaker A:I was reading a report authored by Bupa that said 800,000 people in the UK experience work related stress, anxiety and depression.
Speaker A:Now, 800,000 is a huge number, but personally from anecdotal evidence I'd put that number much higher.
Speaker A:We know that long term stress can lead to burnout and even if it doesn't get to the point of burnout, those experiencing stress are going to be much less productive.
Speaker A:We also know that taking time off is good for us.
Speaker A:It allows us to spend time with the people that are important to us and also to remember who we are outside of work.
Speaker A:It also gives us an opportunity to get perspective on where we might have slipped into unhelpful habits.
Speaker A:It's an opportunity to reset.
Speaker A:And we also know that when people return to work, they're much more creative and much more productive.
Speaker A:So taking a holiday is a good thing.
Speaker A:And I'll clarify that when I say a holiday, I don't necessarily mean you have to go away on holiday.
Speaker A:Of course, it's great if you can have a change of environment, a change of scenery, but if for whatever reason, that isn't possible for you at the moment, there are still huge benefits to taking that time off, taking that time away from the workplace.
Speaker A:Although what often happens is while it's easy enough to walk out the office door or shut down your laptop, it can be so much harder to switch off from work.
Speaker A:According to a study by Tots for Travel, it takes people on average, wait for it, 46 hours and 42 minutes to feel relaxed on holiday.
Speaker A:So if you've taken a week off, that means it's taking you more than 25% of your time to unwind and feel relaxed.
Speaker A:So today I'm going to share with you 5 tips to help you reduce that time frame so that you can unwind and slip into relaxation mode and switch off from work much more easily.
Speaker A:Now, the first thing that I'm going to recommend is to make sure that you do proper planning and preparation before your holiday even takes place.
Speaker A:Get everything out of your head and dump it onto a list.
Speaker A:It can be a word document.
Speaker A:You can use pen and paper, you can, you can use OneNote, whatever method works best for you, but get all those thoughts.
Speaker A:Get all the things on the to do list out of your head and onto a bit of paper so that you can see them all in one place.
Speaker A:Then go through the list and identify what must get done before you go away.
Speaker A:Now, be ruthless with this.
Speaker A:There may well be things that you would like to do before you go away, but.
Speaker A:But they're not 100% necessary.
Speaker A:What must you do before you go away on holiday?
Speaker A:And then for anything that's left, put together a detailed handover document so that if MD has to step in on your behalf, they've got the information they need.
Speaker A:There may be things on that list that you can delegate to others and get them to complete while you're away on holiday.
Speaker A:And there'll be other things that people just need to be aware of and they don't specifically need to action.
Speaker A:Book in some time with your line manager and go through the handover document and agree who needs to be given responsibility and briefed for each of the specific tasks.
Speaker A:Also agree what the protocol will be if in an absolute emergency, and I stress an absolute emergency, your manager or your co workers need to get in contact.
Speaker A:Now, keep in mind you are well within your rights to say that you can't be contacted when you're on holiday, but you might decide that in case of a real work emergency, you'd rather know than not know.
Speaker A:An Ipsos Mori poll found that 41% of Brits check in with work when they're on holiday.
Speaker A:Now, I would argue that the vast majority of those check ins aren't required and they're actually detrimental to people's ability to switch off.
Speaker A:So I'd very much encourage you to be clear in your boundaries what constitutes an emergency and how should people contact you.
Speaker A:Maybe you'd rather get a text and ask if you call them at a convenient time rather than them putting in the call.
Speaker A:First of all, when you do finally manage to get away from the office, then the next thing is to disconnect any method of communication that you don't need while you're away on that holiday.
Speaker A:Delete all the apps from your phone that you're not going to need.
Speaker A:If your work email is easily accessible in your phone, then it's going to be tempting just to hit in the app for a quick peek.
Speaker A:And then once you hit on the app for a quick peek, you think, oh, it'd be quicker if I reply to this or if I respond to this.
Speaker A:Remember, you have given those detailed instructions in your handover notes.
Speaker A:You've agreed the protocol to get in touch with you if there is a real emergency.
Speaker A:So you now need to give your brain a break.
Speaker A:Give your fingers a break from tap, tap tapping on your phone and disconnect those methods of communication that you don't need.
Speaker A:My next tip is about taking a break from routine.
Speaker A:So whether you go away on holiday or you're spending time at home, find ways to take a break from routine to help yourself.
Speaker A:Switched off.
Speaker A:If you think about it, a holiday is a break.
Speaker A:So don't continue to do all the things you'd normally do when you're at home.
Speaker A:There might be TV shows or radio programmes or podcasts that you watch and listen to religiously week.
Speaker A:They'll still be there when you get back.
Speaker A:Use this as an opportunity to shake up your routine.
Speaker A:Try out different TV programs, ask friends for recommendations of podcasts and books, ideally things you haven't heard of before, and try something different.
Speaker A:My next tip is to find something that's just for you.
Speaker A:Again, whether you're away on holiday or you're spending time at home.
Speaker A:Find just Even if it's just one thing in the day that is completely and utterly for you, if you've taken time off to spend with family, then you may find that you're going with the flow of what other people want to do.
Speaker A:So just find that one thing that's special for you doesn't need to be special to other people.
Speaker A:It could be taking some time out each day for a run, having a little time to read, having your breakfast outside.
Speaker A:Whatever constitutes a little pocket of time for you that you can savor, that you can appreciate as being a break from your normal routine.
Speaker A:And you might even find that habits that you start off on holiday get carried through into normal daily life when you do return to work.
Speaker A:My final tip is to go slow on holiday.
Speaker A:We live in such a busy world.
Speaker A:The majority of our time is filled with meetings and tasks and things that need to be done.
Speaker A:When you're on holiday, slow things down.
Speaker A:If you do go away, pick a couple of things that you'd really like to do in your new destination.
Speaker A:You don't have to do all the things marching through the day, ticking off the sites that you've seen on your list.
Speaker A:If you stay at home, you don't have to be productive and catch up on all those jobs that have been waiting to get done around the house.
Speaker A:Allow yourself the luxury of slowing down.
Speaker A:Allow yourself to properly relax so that when you return to work, you're more likely to be refreshed and rejuvenated.
Speaker A:And if you do find yourself taking time off work and being completely unable to switch off, it's time to do some reflection.
Speaker A:What is it that's stopping you from relaxing?
Speaker A:What do you need to do on a regular basis to help you relax more easily?
Speaker A:Relaxation shouldn't be alien to us, and the more we can build in time for relaxation, the more productive and creative we'll be.
Speaker A:That's all for this week.
Speaker A:If you'd like to keep in contact, be sure to download my free guide Back Yourself.
Speaker A:Your seven step plan to build confidence and achieve your career goals by going to Nicholas semple.combackyourself as well as getting instant access to the guides, I will send you my fortnightly career confidence hints and tips.
Speaker A:And finally, if you have a friend or colleague who's planning on taking some time off and would benefit from hearing what you've just listened to, please do send a link to the podcast to them.
Speaker A:Thank you again for listening and I'll talk to you again very soon.
Speaker A:Bye for now, Sam.
