Personal holidays are a wonderful thing. Passport, Sun lotion, swimwear, comfortable clothing, children, work laptop�how many of you pack your work phone or work laptop when you go on ‘holiday’?

 

For too many years I found it really difficult to switch off from work. I was working in a global world, with globally colleagues and team members. I still felt I needed to stay online, even when I was taking time out with my family. My children demanded me to stop, my colleagues needed my attention.

 

I always remember joining a new company in 2010 as a Global Sales Leader, and heading off for a  holiday right in the middle of a very large global proposal. As part of the holiday I would drive every morning up to the top of a hill to have access to WIFI (it was less established back then and the signal in Cornwall was not great) to check my emails. During the holiday I even had the pleasure or attending a 60 minute conference call with around 20 colleagues from a telephone box! The defining moment was when a tractor drove past and I had no ability to mute my phone (cue hand over receiver hoping the sound is not picked up!).  

 

For many years I would have to carefully negotiate with my wife and children to take time to do work whilst I was away. 

 

I guess what I am trying to say is there are many of us who struggle to switch off during holidays due to ‘work tasks and objectives’.  Although I have found over the past years more people are switching off. I have now made adjustments to my life and routines to help me.

 

I am actually writing this on my own holiday. But I am ok with this. For me a holiday is about breaking away from my normal work routines.  I have managed to to negotiate to have time to do things that I choose, that I want to do�and sometimes I choose to do some writing (this article), not work.

 

I recently read an interesting article on this topic ‘How to switch off from work over the holidays’, and read with interest;

 

‘Reframe your holiday as an enhancement tool’. Reframe your holiday as an opportunity to enhance your performance back at work. A change of scenery can shift you into a more constructive mindset and spark creative problem-solving ideas, especially if you are taking part in activities that enable your mind to wander. Uninterrupted time away from work helps enhance wellbeing and help you immerse in non-work activities.’

 

I find it incredibly relaxing and therapeutic to write, I wish I had more time to do so. This is the challenge I am going to take forward to find more time to write in the future. 

 

For now it’s time to move�we are heading off swimming now!

 

How do you find switching off for Holiday? Easy or Hard? 

 

https://wearethecity.com/how-to-switch-off-from-work-over-the-holidays/

 

Matthew Holman, June 2022