Value the Vacation

I am officially on vacation.  And it makes me wonder, why I have a hard time wrapping my head around “time off”.  Even though I’m off at this time, the rest of the university is not.  This means that there are still deadlines and approvals.  Work is going on that I must be part of.  So, it is really vacation?

The concept of vacation, but not really, has plagued me for a while now.  And there are a lot of reasons that it bothers me.

• I’m using my vacation time, but still “on call” …or on computer.  How is that vacation?
• Is it an expectation of my employer or just a problem with feeling that I “must”?  I think it’s a bit of both.  If a problem arises, I’m expected to handle it if it can’t be put off.  But, there is also the backlog of work that I know I’ll come back to if I don’t handle it now.
• Technology makes it so easy – to not get away!  I can pick it up at any time and handle things, through my phone, iPad, computer.  It’s always there…and isn’t that the problem?  It’s always there!

Being able to set it down and walk away is a skill.  One that technology is making more difficult to stick to.  I know people who take their vacations in remote locations, or on cruises, just so they will not be able to be contacted.  I’m not so sure that’s not a bad idea.

But it’s our mind-set that gets us most in trouble.  I have a faculty member who told me that during the break she was planning to work on several writing projects..and prepare her classes for spring.  While that sounds like a perfectly logical aspiration, our break isn’t that long.  So if it is filled with tasks and to-do’s, family and work.  What happened to the break?  Are we only worthwhile while we are producing?  I think not!  Yet, how many people do you know feel or react this way?  That they must be cranking out some work, at all times.

I think we may need to take a lesson from other countries where vacations are both valued and expected.  There is merit in walking away and shutting down.  There is merit in rejuvenating your mind.  I know that the first few days of my vacation are my most difficult.  It is as if I’m going on high-speed and the momentum is still propelling me forward.  But once that stops, I am finally able to step away.  At least that’s what I tell myself.

But regardless, I owe it to myself to be good to myself.  So do you!  Enjoy the vacation you earned!