How to Switch Off for the Holidays

Taking a few days break over the festive season? Try and get your head out of work and make the most of your end of year holidays. Here’s how to switch off…

Let go of the guilt

Stop feeling guilty about taking a holiday. Everybody needs a break. In fact, research shows that employees who take their holidays are healthier, perform better and are more satisfied with their jobs.

Those that don’t take holidays are also more likely to burn out and may end up resenting their jobs. What’s more, annual leave is part of your entitlements (so, if you think about it, not taking a holiday is essentially like taking a pay cut!).

Unplug

The festive season is a quiet time of the year for most organisations – so embrace it and unplug.

That’s right, switch off your work phone and laptop. Nowadays, with technology at our fingertips, it’s easy to take a sneak peek at work emails while we’re (supposed to be) on holiday. But this means our brains never really switch off from work.

So, set an out of office message, refrain from checking emails and switch off your work phone. Better yet, if you’re heading away for the holidays – leave your work phone and laptop at home, and log out of your work email. No one wants to spend a holiday with a killjoy who keeps glancing at their phone!

If you absolutely must check in, devote a short, specific time once a day to do it. And, after that, switch off again.

Tie up loose ends

Do a bit of prep before you leave. Clear your workload, finish important tasks and delegate projects the while you’re away.

Making a summary of your workload will help you get your head around what needs to be done while you’re away, and what can wait for when you return. Preparing for your absence will help reduce your stress and delegating will help upskill and engage your team members.

Tell people you’ll be away

Tell your clients, team members and other key contacts the dates you’ll be away and give them the details of the person who’ll be covering for you. The more notice you give people about your absence, the less likely they’ll bug you while you’re trying to enjoy your break.

Make clear handover notes

Create a to-do list (including instructions) for the people who will be covering for you. Include the details of your key contacts and how people can contact you in an emergency.

Prepare for your return

Preparing for your return is just as important as preparing for your absence. Jot down a list of important tasks or projects that need to be actioned as soon as you come back from holiday.

Ask your co-workers who took over your workload to prepare summary notes on progress or outcome of the tasks you handed over. This will help reduce stress and will make it easier for you to jump straight back the swing of things upon your return.

Write down good ideas then relax

Most great business ideas come when we’re not trying to think of them. So, if a great business idea comes to mind while you’re out of the office and relaxing, don’t jump back into work mode. Write it down and then go back to enjoying your holiday.

In addition, engage in some creative activities whilst on holiday. Sometimes inspiration can come from the strangest of places. Reinvigorate your mind and it’ll thank you when you’re back working on a complicated task.

Live in the moment

A clever monk named Lao Tzu once said ‘If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present …’ and this couldn’t be truer. So get out of your head and be mindful of the present moment. Be aware of what’s around you: acknowledge what you can see, touch, hear, taste and smell, and really engage in the activities you are doing.

You could even try using a mindfulness app like Headspace to get you feeling zen. Who knows, you might even continue along this path of mindfulness when you return to work!

From all of us at TGC, thank you for your wonderful support over the year, and we wish you a joyous festive season and a great start to 2017. We hope you get to take a well-earned break (both mentally and physically), switch off and enjoy your holiday!

Planning a sabbatical? Here’s what to consider.

No holidays planned till the new year? Get some well deserved R&R in the meantime by learning how to switch off and make the most out of your lunch break.

At TGC, we won’t be completely switching off over the festive season. We’ll be open as usual over the festive break (excluding public holidays), so feel free to contact us if you need assistance with buying, leasing, selling or property management.

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