Now that the holiday season is here, it’s time to use all of those paid leaves and go on a well-deserved vacation.
But what’s this? Instead of relaxing while on vacation, you can’t seem to disconnect from work anymore.
Because of the shift to remote work, the boundaries that used to exist between work and personal life disappeared. Now, it’s easier for your boss to reach you via Skype or Gmail. It’s become such a problem that there’s now a proposed law prohibiting employers from contacting their employees outside of work hours.
To help you focus on your vacation, here are five ways you can disconnect from work when necessary.
Notify Everyone About When You’ll Take a Vacation.
To ensure you won’t be bothered during your vacation, inform all the necessary people of your plans beforehand. Tell them when you’ll take your leave, for how long, and when you’ll be back.
In the case of work-related emergencies, discuss how your team and boss can reach you while on vacation. Don’t forget to explain what comprises a “work-related emergency,” so that they won’t call you over trivial matters.
When planning your vacation, ensure that it doesn’t overlap with those of your co-workers’. This prevents your team from becoming short-staffed in case many of you go on leave simultaneously.
Finish Your Work Before Your Vacation.
Before you hit the beach or stay at home to rest, are all your tasks at work finished? One primary reason why you’re unable to enjoy your vacation is because you’re constantly worried about any unfinished business.
To further minimize any work-related interruptions, tie up any loose ends before taking your leave. Once done, you can now fully relax and enjoy.
But what if you can’t finish all of your work on time? In this case, you can list down all your unfinished tasks and notify your boss about when you’ll finish them once you return from vacation.
If your boss requires these tasks to be finished soon or if your job requires daily monitoring, coordinate with your team so someone can fill in for you while you’re gone. This helps you disconnect from work and enjoy your vacation.
Switch Off All Your Work Communications While On Leave.
Messages from your boss and teammates are a common distraction while you’re on vacation.
So, a simple way to help you disconnect from work is to turn off all work communications for the duration of your vacation. This includes logging off from all work communications apps and turning off the notifications from your work email.
Besides this, don’t forget to set an out-of-office (OOO) reply and set your status to “away” in your work communication apps.
Specify in your OOO when you’ll be back -and who to contact while you’re away. Doing this tells whoever might be messaging you that you’re currently unavailable.
Leave All Work Gadgets at Home or Out of Sight.
When going on a trip for your vacation, leave all your work gadgets at home so they won’t distract you. These include your work laptop, cellphone, etc.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should purchase a new phone for going out, for example. You can simply switch to a different sim card while on leave so you won’t receive texts or calls from your boss.
If you’re just staying home during vacation, you could try storing your work gadgets somewhere you won’t easily see. Doing this prevents you from using them to check on your co-workers while on leave.
Remember that You Deserve a Vacation.
A negative effect of the hustle culture is the idea that if you’re not working all the time, you’re not being productive. This mindset leads to the notion that vacations are a luxury you can ill afford, particularly if you’re just starting out.
So, we think that we need to work hard to earn as much as possible and receive a promotion as soon as possible. Once we’re in a high enough position, then that’s when we can start enjoying their vacations, right?
The thing is, if you continue doing this, you increase your risk of experiencing burnout and stress.
Part of being productive is knowing when to rest and regain your strength from work.
So don’t stress about taking a break every now and then.
Going on a leave is essential for keeping yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy. It allows you to spend time alone with your hobbies and/or bond with your loved ones.
However, it can be hard to disconnect from work nowadays. But with the tips above, you’ll have an easier time doing this, so you can enjoy your vacation.
If you’re looking for online work opportunities, head on over to Remote Staff. Our jobs list has plenty of Australian work-from-home jobs that you can apply to. Good luck!
