Temporarily Unavailable. How To Afford Your Vacation - Image

2023 Author: Oswald Adamson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 12:13

"Vacation" is a word that attracts many office workers, especially in summer. We all want to finally take a break from work, dream of just lying on the beach and plunge into the sweet "doing nothing". But sometimes it turns out to be not so easy to emerge from the working stress in which you have been for a long time, having paused all work processes. So, is it possible to organize your vacation in such a way that the work process does not suffer? Is a vacation real?

Let's first figure out why such a question arises at all. It would seem that he went on vacation, turned off the phone and lie calmly in a sun lounger. But no … Life today dictates its own rules, and the harsh age of high technology, coupled with growing by leaps and bounds competition, opens up before us the "opportunity" to be in touch with a client 24 hours a day. And in order to live with dignity, and therefore earn decently, from time to time you use this "opportunity".

Wherever you are - in a beauty salon, on a treadmill, in a car service - a mobile at hand allows you to quickly answer an incoming call. The strict boundaries of the working schedule from 9 to 18, and with it roaming, are gradually blurring, leaving only memories of how it was before. And of course, against the background of such round-the-clock availability, it becomes many times more difficult to completely disconnect from the workflow while on vacation.

Maybe just a habit?

The reason for this may also be the very habit of working, which does not leave outside the company. The habit of constantly being in business, doing something.

Many people are often pushed into the abyss of a working emergency on vacation by nothing more than … a feeling of guilt

After all, a large number of people are so unaccustomed to allowing themselves rest and, as a result, do not know how to rest that on the eve of the upcoming vacation they begin to feel uncomfortable at the thought that in a couple of days they will bask in the sun, and colleagues and bosses will work in stuffy office in the sweat of your brow. The roots of this phenomenon go back to the post-war period and are more related to people born during this period. Although, these family programs can be inherited by the next generations.

Do not forget about psychology. It would be nice after all to understand that since two are dancing, it equally depends on both - both the client and the supplier - how the workflow between them will be built. Including during the vacation period.

And the fact that the client can knock on the supplier's door whenever he wants can speak not only of the supplier's high responsibility and efficiency. But often it is also about the fact that the latter cannot say “no” to the client, which means that from time to time he makes a choice to make contact when it is convenient for the latter.

The most interesting thing is the sequence: it is possible to cross the threshold of the house only after the owner opens the doors, and not vice versa. That is, personal boundaries are violated by someone only with the internal consent of the owner. This means that it is not the boor client who starts ringing at night with empty questions and therefore you have to answer, no.

Once, internally, he was already given "green", and in response to this, the client feels that he can do this and does. A very subtle psychological moment, which is worth pondering, because only one awareness of the true essence of things is already capable of changing something in the usual course of events.

What if you are a freelancer?

Separately, it should be said about freelancers, who have the temptation and risk of not letting go of the workflow anywhere and never is greater. Freelancing is, indeed, more difficult to afford a full-fledged rest, because you get used to working in relaxed conditions: whether it is at home, in a cafe or on a lawn in a park.

It seems normal and on the beach by the sea to devote time to the work process. What's already there, a laptop in a bag, and a chaise longue under the back. Moreover, such a lifestyle is now actively being introduced into the mass consciousness. But here it is even easier to get into the hellish circle of "zapara", because it mistakenly seems that the process is in control.

That is, of course, you control it for the time being, and at some point you realize that you are not coping enough with the piled volume and the panic about unfulfilled obligations, missed deadlines, unpublished posts, etc., begins to roll in quietly. What kind of a beach with a mojito is, it is not up to him at all.

The recently coined term "social jet-lag" means the failure of natural biorhythms in the inhabitants of large cities, where work, home and leisure merged into one

But you still need to rest. Scientists are of the opinion that heavy loads, not alternating with proper rest, can be extremely destructive to health. And first of all - on the mental, which also pulls physical manifestations. Therefore, in the West, for example, it is practiced to take time off when there is already a blockage at work.

The very idea of taking a day off when "plaster is falling on your head" may seem crazy. But it is important to understand that a person cannot remain productive in the face of constant stress in life. And in order to feel full of strength again, it is necessary to break this vicious circle.

Rest should still remain a full-fledged rest just so that the working process does not suffer. Each of us - a freelancer or a classic office employee - needs to be able to allow ourselves to relax and rest in order to fully recover our resources that are regularly spent on work processes.

"While on vacation, we go back to our factory settings."

Karen Osterle

How to afford a vacation?

You can learn everything, if you have a desire. Below is a program plan to prepare for your absence from work in such a way that your workflow is never harmed by it.

1. Make an inner choice. This is the first and most important thing. If you bought a ticket, tickets and packed your suitcase - this is not a choice. It is simply a set of actions to implement your decision to go on vacation. An internal choice is a volitional decision, a priori made by you, from which you can no longer refuse, because it becomes a part of you. A kind of point of no return. Make an inner choice for yourself on vacation. And then organizing everything in a competent way will become much easier and more efficient.
2. Make a list of all-all tasks and tasks for the next period. Including during your absence. Cross out what can objectively be tolerated before your return. Focus on what's on fire and prioritize. You need to decide and share: what you yourself will concentrate on before leaving, what you will need to delegate to one of your colleagues or assistants, and what to discuss with clients in advance in the context of “If not plan A, then plan B”.
3. Prepare to delegate some of the work during your absence. Do not take on everything, distribute responsibilities between those who are really ready to help and whom you can trust. If you are self-employed, you might even consider hiring someone to replace you during your vacation. It is good if it is someone who is familiar with you and the processes of your work.
4. Plan all important things and events. Do this in writing on a planner or diary. Highlight the most important so that it catches your eye every time. Set a goal to complete them all before resting. But do not overdo it here with the number of cases, back to point 3.
5. Notify all your clients about your temporary absence. And it would also be useful to say that where you are going, the connection is very bad. But if they are warned in advance, then at least half of them will certainly not call you.
6. As a last resort, decide for yourself at what hours and for how long you will deal with work issues on vacation. Let your customers know in advance when you will be in touch. This will make it easier for you to disappear from the access zone, which means you can plan your vacation so that work does not greatly interfere with it. And it is quite possible to do all this, no matter how "hot" the working process is in your absence. If you sincerely think not, then go back to point 1.

And finally … rest is always about pleasant things. And also about relaxation, reflection and immersion in yourself. You will have enough time to analyze and rethink something. Perhaps your vacation will be a very opportune moment to redefine the boundaries of your work regime, along with your personal ones?

And learn at certain moments to tell people a persistent “No!”, Which can make your life much more harmonious and balanced. By the way, revision of the very concept of your vacation can help you with this.