The Best Vacation Ever (Part 1)
Questions to Enhance Your Time Off
What was the best vacation you ever had? Have you ever taken time off and come back thinking, “I need a vacation after my vacation”? When was the last break you had away from the managed chaos and actually came back with more energy, direction, and clarity to be at your best for the work and people in your life?
We all know the importance of vacation. We need time away from the daily and weekly rhythms that drive progress or maintain our responsibilities so we can reset and recharge. But many times we go into and come out of our vacations feeling more frantic and depleted than we were before. Why even take vacation time if it’s only going to make things worse? This makes sense why in 2021 American employees had an average of 9.5 days of unused paid time off leftover.
Neglecting time off is certainly not the answer, but why is it so hard? Shouldn’t vacations be easy? It’s difficult because we don’t always know HOW to take time off. Why?
You’re asking the wrong questions
My wife and I (now that we have kids) like to joke that we no longer take vacations, we have “family trips.” It’s funny but, in a lot of ways, it’s true. We are in a stage of life where vacations look and feel different. But this doesn’t mean we will never have the rest or recharge we once experienced. Rather, it means that we must come with new strategies to find the outcomes we desire.
When you plan a vacation, it can be easy to fall into stereotypical norms of what a vacation looks like. You see what others are doing and you try to replicate what worked for them (or at least what fanciful version of it they posted on Instagram). A certain destination, distance from home, cost, duration, and activities that make up the “perfect” vacation. You do this without stopping and considering the RIGHT questions to ask BEFORE you begin planning your vacation.
You must set clear expectations for yourself and align your planning with those intentions so that you can take advantage of these precious days away.
So, next time you are planning your vacation, sit down and write out the answers to these 3 questions:
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How would you describe your desired vacation in 3 words?
This is your chance to determine what exactly you want from this time off. Not all vacations are the same. As I mentioned before, many of my vacations now are for creating family memories. We visit family, try new things, and share the world with our children. There may be a component of rest (however small), but it isn’t the primary focus. For yourself, you might want it to be fun and full of exciting activities. Or maybe quiet, slow, and generally unplanned. But you get to envision and decide what that looks like.
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Why does this vacation matter to you?
What would this vacation mean for your life? What would you lose if you didn’t take this vacation? As with many projects and endeavors, knowing WHY you are taking this vacation is crucial to a successful time off. This will help you align with how you design the vacation. If you are coming out of a very busy season at work and need time to rest and recharge so you can come back ready with new inspiration, be sure to design activities that would support that. If you are stuck in a rut and need to shake things up with something exciting or reconnect with an old friend, then maybe a quiet resort destination isn’t the answer.
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What ways will you rejuvenate?
What will you do to guarantee you will disconnect from work? Are there relationships you need to devote time to? What activities or recreation will fill you up? How will you nurture your mind and your body? How will you find rest and energy? Rejuvenation is possible in a variety of ways and you need to determine how you will get that. This is where many vacations can go awry, leaving us more drained and diminished than before. But if you take time to build rejuvenation into your vacation, you will enjoy your time off AND be equipped to return to your life and work.
You only get so much time off. Failing to ask yourself the right questions will lead to greater dissatisfaction and frustration with your work, family, and friends.
But if you take the time to stop and describe your vacation, determine why you need it, and decide how you’ll get true rejuvenation, you will feel more fulfilled and charged. Vacations are a means to an end, to repair us and keep us strong on the path of the life we are given. Don’t waste it. After answering these questions yourself, try sharing it with your loved ones. This can provide great discussion and clarity around everyone’s expectations for your time off.
Next week, I will share with you practical ways you can TRULY disengage from work and get your much needed rejuvenation while on vacation.