You’ve got some planned time off coming up… a long weekend, perhaps a week’s vacation, maybe even a sabbatical. What will you do with it? When one of my clients is going to have a significant break we almost always discuss it.

Thinking about time out in advance can be very helpful. Ask yourself some simple questions.

What do you most need from the break?

Do you want to think about your role/work while you’re out? If so, why? What do you want to achieve?

Time off can give you the opportunity to consider your contribution in deeper, more mindful ways. You won’t have to handle the constant streams of information and questions that you receive while at work. With fewer distractions you might be better placed to think differently about the biggest challenges you face.

If you’d rather not think about work, what can you do to reduce/remove the risk of work getting in the way during your break?

Time off when you entirely avoid thinking about work is valuable. Do you really need to take your laptop? Is checking in once a day “in case there’s something urgent” better than letting the rest of the team take care of business while you are recharging? What self-limiting behaviours will drag your mind back towards work when you’re trying to relax?

Create a plan before you go and try to stick to it. If you will be spending time with other people, let them know roughly what your plan is so they can help you defend it.