If you’ve been working from home, you might feel like all of the days are running together, and you don’t have a good handle on time anymore.
Here’s a question for you: When’s the last time you took time off work?
Taking a break to unplug and recharge can give us the strength and resilience we need to manage all that we have.
If all you’re doing all the time is work, you’re only using one part of your brain and one part of your potential. Taking time off to focus on something more creative or physical, for example, can give you a sense of balance.
It’s not enough to just take time off, you want to make sure your time off is truly refreshing.
Try these tips to help you get as much as you can out of your vacation—even if you’re not going anywhere.
- Make sure you take the amount of time you need. If you don’t feel like you fully wind down from your job on the weekends, then taking two or three days off might not be long enough to rejuvenate you.
- Before your vacation, look at the work that’ll need to be done while you’re gone. Can any of it be done ahead of time? If so, do it—but slowly so as not to overwhelm yourself.
- Set an out-of-office message for your email so people know they shouldn’t expect to hear from you. You can also list the contact information for the person or people covering for you if there’s an urgent issue.
- Look for activities you’ve never done before—and get creative. For example, Have a family game day or tournament where everyone gets to choose a board game, video game, or sport.
- You must have heard the idiom, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” While it might not have made sense earlier, it perfectly applies to the remote work culture. Take some break from your work and spare this time on self-care and nourish your mind and body.
Regardless of how you choose to spend your time off, it’s important that it’s enjoyable for you.