Permission to vacation, please?
We all attend various luncheons and seminars where someone will share information that we can take or leave, but every once in a while, you hear that nugget that sticks with you. It changes your perspective on a topic or idea.
One such nugget came to me at a luncheon a few months ago. A very high energy, motivated and successful business woman was sharing her 16-hour day routine, her over-the-top client service model and her methods of business development. I fairly quickly blocked it all from my mind. Oof!
And then, she shares the one rule she never breaks – she made sure to vacation for many weeks every year. How many did she say? 8? 12? Not sure, I was too gob smacked to remember the exact number! But that, she shared, was how she was able to sustain the otherwise grueling schedule.
Now, I will not be following her lead on the 16-hour days, nor will I aspire to 12 weeks, but prioritizing vacation, and not just a day or two here and there? I think I can support that idea! Can’t I?
Especially when you are the one checking the email, posting the information, scheduling events to run and to attend, keeping up on learning modules and such, it feels imperative to be on top of everything every day. But is it?
I’m pretty low key on weekends, maybe reading an email but rarely responding. But Monday through Friday I feel more of an obligation to be online for at least the bare minimum. But this summer I have intentionally taken time off to do what we do in the summer on weekdays, too. And alas, nothing broke!
My daughter runs children’s programs during the summer, and she decided this year she is going to take two weeks of vacation in August. She felt lighter and happier once she made the decision. It wasn’t something she hadn’t been allowed to do, she had just thought one week was enough.
I was a K-12 summer school director for 17 summers, and remember the year I made the decision to take two weeks off in August, after all programming ended. My motivation came from all the teachers back from summer break with their tans and stories of amazing travels. I loved our summer programs so was not mad I didn’t have summer off, but taking those two weeks in August gave me stories to share!
So here’s the thing – if you’ve yet to block off time to do whatever it is that offers you a brain break, I do hope you’ll get something on the calendar. It may not require 12 weeks, but stretch it just a bit and see how it feels. Maybe it’s not just lunch, but lunch in Stillwater. How about a four-day weekend instead of two?
For those who want more proof that vacations are very important, check out this article from Allina Health. It offers 7 health benefits of taking a vacation.
https://www.allinahealth.org/healthysetgo/thrive/importance-of-taking-a-vacation
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The photo in this article is from our family vacation in Little Marais. I invite you to send me your vacation photo, I’d love to hear about it!