Picture this scenario: It’s Monday morning. Your alarm goes off for the 3rd or 4th time after repeatedly hitting the snooze button. Getting out of bed you feel like those 5 or 6 hours of sleep you got just flew by. Still feeling tired and dreading the day, you hope to magically feel strong enough to power through.
At work, you’re often feeling stressed and lacking motivation from the 6 am meetings and 5PM tag ups. You’re spending so much time at work in meetings, you feel like you haven’t accomplished anything despite being busy the second you walked in.
The workday ends and after climbing into bed for a good night’s rest, issues from work pop into your head after you head hits the pillow. Thinking to yourself, “What the heck?” you try to banish these thoughts from your mind before drifting off to sleep hours after you’ve turned off the lights.
If this sounds like your life, it may be time for a vacation. Face it. You’re burned out. Life has become come an endless cycle of monotony and boredom coupled with working too many hours. How do you get off this hamster wheel and infuse some excitement in your life?
The answer is simple. Pack your bags and breakaway to Hawaii or your favorite chill out spot for a week or more.
You may be thinking, “I don’t have time for a vacation now. We have a million things going on at work!”
This may be the case, but the truth is there’s no “right” time to take a vacation. You’ll ALWAYS have a million things going on at work. So why not breakaway now and catch up when you come back?
Don’t know how? I’ll show you.
Give ample notice. Planning for your much-deserved vacation a couple months in advance is sufficient enough to give your boss time come up with a plan for surviving without you for a week or two.
Plan now. Find and book plane tickets to your favorite destination 2-3 months from now. Since most airlines tickets are non-refundable this will help you avoid procrastination. Purchasing these tickets will help you stay committed to your plans.
Don’t drop the ball. Figure out who will take over your responsibilities when you’re relaxing poolside with a Mai Tai. Leaving without a back-up could turn into a much larger problem once you get back. This will also help you avoid forget-this-stuff-I’m-out syndrome that typically kicks in before any vacation or long weekend. Your boss will be grateful and more willing to let you take a vacation during this time.
Scared you’ll miss something? If getting away from the office is tough, try planning the trip around a holiday. Most of your officemates will plan trips and long weekend around this time. Your office will more than likely become a ghost town. Granted, there’s always someone who stays late to work the night before (or during) a holiday. Don’t let that person be you!
By Any Means Necessary. Don’t think too much about what’s going on at work during the time you plan to be out of the office. Plan everything around this trip. Circumstances at work may try to bring your vacation plans to a screeching halt. Don’t let it! Get creative and find ways to get your vacation plans back on track.
If you want to feel like you have more control over your life and your time, you have to take a break. Continuous working while feeling burned out is not only bad for yourself but for your coworkers, friends and family. Typically people can sense when you’re stressed or feeling burned out, but it’s much better to recognize if for yourself. If you’ve experienced any of the “symptoms” in this article, take charge today and relax. You’ll be a better employee, friend and spouse if you do.
How can you start to implement this strategy and take a well deserved vacation? Land your dream job and learn how to manage your stress, click here.
