Every year my dad takes me, my son and my sister on a Florida family vacation. I just LOVE Florida and want to move there once my son graduates (he’s a Sophomore – yikes, how did that happen?) Anyways, every year I say it’s going to be a NO work vacation. I always say “I’m completely unplugging this year” – no checking email on my phone, no bringing my laptop, no thinking about work. And I mean it every single time I say it.
But guess what happens?
You’re right if you guessed it never happens! I always end up checking email on my phone. There’s always a “extremely important, can’t wait until you’re back” email/something that needs to be taken care of and I do it. In other words, I always end up working. And then I feel frustrated with myself for not valuing my time enough to be stricter with the boundary that while on vacation I will not do any work or check my email.
But thanks to a recent post I just read by Michael Hyatt, I really do mean it this time when I say “I am completely unplugging the next time I go on vacation!” In his post he shares 5 tips that have helped him unplug since starting his sabbatical tradition a couple years ago. One of those tips he mentions is:
- I disable all other email accounts on my desktop and mobile devices. I’m using an auto-responder to explain my absence along with Gmail’s filter function to delete all messages as they arrive.
Along with the tips he shared, this really stood out to me:
These steps allow me to get my head out of my work and my heart into my rest. -Michael Hyatt
Whether you are heading out for vacation soon or sometime in the future, I encourage you to visit How to Unplug While You Are on Vacation.
It’s a great reminder to make a vacation and time off the internet a priority.
As online business owners I think that we sometimes forget that we’re entitled to a little downtime and that even though we can work while we travel we shouldn’t have to.
Amen Tracy! My thoughts exactly.
Love Michael Hyatt. Have to agree on all points. Unplugging is really hard. Lately, I’ve started to view my daily cooking hour (or 90 minutes sometimes) not as a chore but a way to unplug. Not only has it been good for my mind but re-discovering the joy of cooking and taking time to make a GOOD meal, not just something thrown together is deeply satisfying.
Love this idea Lynette (although I wouldn’t be in the kitchen for 90 minutes! LOL If you find me in there for 10, that’s a miracle.). You also bring up a good point – that it’s not just about unplugging when we have a planned vacation. It’s just as important to unplug on a regular basis too.
You and you alone can set and defend boundaries around your time off – I’m so glad this post has inspired you to be firm about it.
Your clients will respect your boundaries and appreciate that they get the better of you when you’re rested!
Yep, it’s time to be firm and MEAN it when I say it and then follow through. 🙂