It’s that time of year when the days are shorter and many of us go to work and come home from work in the dark. There are year-end events to attend, work that needs to get done by December 31st, and don’t forget the holiday shopping. This is a really busy time of year! This is also the time of year that you may be told that you have vacation days that you need to use or you will lose them (in some organizations).
Vacation days are meant to be times to recharge our batteries, yet it’s amazing to me how many people end the year without taking very many days off. There are always reasons why we can’t take time off…. busy time at work, nobody else can do my job while I am away, and a critical project needs to get done. I also hear people saying that they don’t have anywhere special to go or can’t afford a special vacation, so they might as well work.
We all need time to recharge. We spend a lot of time charging our phones, tablets, computers, chargers for the charger…but do we spend that same time being concerned for our own internal batteries? Just like all of our electronic devices, without proper rest we will drain our batteries and be less effective at home and at work.
Many years ago I decided that I needed to take some form of time off (even if it was a good long weekend) at least once each quarter. I didn’t necessarily go away on a fancy vacation each time, but I did take the time to do something that was not work related. I must admit, my technology was not hidden away, but I did make a point of not spending every waking moment looking at it. My staff knew that I would look at their emails if the subject line said urgent, please read, and if it didn’t say that line, I would not look at it.
Consider the following recharge tips as you look to 2016:
- Plan to take time off to recharge each quarter…. even if it’s a long weekend.
- Consider a staycation – there are a lot of great things going on in your own home location.
- Limit the amount of time you spend on your electronic work devices when you’re taking time off…you need time to disconnect.
- Do something that works for you to recharge.
If you want to explore how to recharge your batteries and work at your full potential, please consider booking a complimentary 30-minute consultation with me. My scheduler link is: https://bluewaterschedule.acuityscheduling.com/