How, and Why, to Actually Unplug on Vacation
Photo by Rafael Cisneros Méndez on Unsplash
I’m going to tell you something and I want to preface it by saying that I’m not bragging. I swear.
Here it is:
In the 20+ years I’ve been in the workforce I have never, not even once, checked email (or Slack!) on vacation.
Never.
And did anything bad happen?
Nope!
Nothing. Nada. Zip.
It honestly just wasn’t a big deal.
Did good stuff happen?
You bet it did.
First, I got to actually enjoy all of those vacations. Being completely disconnected from work.
And because I was disconnected from work, I came back refreshed.
(And while I firmly believe in rest for rest’s sake, and play for play’s sake, if you need an excuse, there’s LOTS of research that supports the fact that disconnecting from work, taking true breaks, increases productivity and creativity.
And second, people figured stuff out in my absence. They learned. They grew.
Did people email me for help? Yes, they did.
Were most of the issues resolved by the time I returned? Yes, they were.
Because here’s the secret: I’m not nearly as important as I’d like to believe. And neither are you.
Your company will not fall apart if you’re incommunicado for a week…or 3.
You are not indispensable.
And that’s for the best. No one should be the single fail point for a company or team. And if you are, there are bigger problems looming.
And here’s another important truth: No one uses written communication in an emergency. If they really, truly need you, they’ll use other means to find you.
Have I ever been contacted on vacation via a means other than email?
Yes, once, in 20+ years.
One time, my CEO called me on vacation because I was the only HR person and an employee had quit with no notice and he needed some help figuring out how to process the final paperwork. I took a 15 minute phone call, walked him through it and he handled the rest.
And you know what I did when I got back? I made sure that that process, and anything else that only I could do became a documented process so that if it happened again, they wouldn’t need to contact me.
Not so sure you’re ready to pull the plug? Worried you won’t be able to stop yourself from checking your email?
I’ve got a little trick up my sleeve:
Take a vacation where there is literally no cell service or wifi. My favorite way to do this is camping. It’s cheap and it’s likely you’ve got an off-grid campsite within an hour or two’s drive of wherever you live.
It’s generally easier to remove temptation than to resist it.
Worried about how you’ll ever dig yourself out of the mountain of email that will surely be waiting for you upon your return?
Don’t you worry because I’ve got a plan for that as well!
Click here if you want a step by step game plan for getting back on track with email after a vacation.