For the record, I’m writing this column on the first day back from a week-long vacation.
I went on a camping trip with my wife and another couple on a lake in the Adirondacks. During that time, I didn’t turn on a computer or check (or respond to) to any emails. In fact, for five straight days I had my cell phone turned off.
My wife left her phone on for emergencies, but I was completely disconnected. Guess what? I came back completely rested and recharged, both physically and mentally.
I’m hearing more and more from middle age guys I know who aren’t really taking full advantage of their vacation time. The luxury of smart phones or laptop computers has resulted in a culture where they continue to work, even though they’re off.
One of my buddies noted that during a recent week-long beach vacation with his family that he just had to get up an hour each day before everyone else to check and respond to his work emails.
His reasoning, he told me, was that he wanted to stay abreast of everything that was happening at work. He said it would be easier on his first day back since he wouldn’t have to spend time wading through a week of communications.
I have another friend who got away with his family on a week-long trip recently and spent several hours nearly every morning working on his computer while his wife and daughter pre-occupied themselves doing other things. I’m talking nearly every day of the trip.
What’s going on here? It seems in our lifetime that the whole idea of getting time off for vacation has morphed for many into this semi-work/semi-rest sort of thing. Guys are reinforcing that idea by volunteering to do just that, with no questions asked.
I see it as a big problem.
Men who do that willingly and consistently buy into the “I live to work” philosophy. I wonder if right before they die if they’re going to be thinking, “You know, looking back, I wish I’d spent more time at the office,” as opposed to spending quality time with the ones they love and fully enjoying life.
In the newspaper business, stress and deadlines are constant. Frankly, when I go on vacation it takes about 3-4 days to flush all that work-related crap out my head.
Sure, I may be on a beach or in a boat fishing. But if I’m continuing to be electronically connected, or responding to phone calls from work during that time, I’m still mentally back at the office.
One friend of mine, a local businessman, occasionally goes out half- day fishing charters on Oneida Lake, a local fishing hotspot in Central New York, to clear his head.. He foots the bill and invites business associates and friends. However, he is upfront about requiring that all cell and smart phones get turned off while the boat is out on the water. No exceptions. I like that.
Jim, my father-in-law, is a retired IBMer. When he was with the company, the entire plant would shut down for a week or two and everyone at work would take their vacations at the same time. There’s pros and cons to that, but I’m sure when he was off, he was really off from work.
One guy I know, when confronted on a camping trip about his preoccupation with his iPhone, said he had to have it on constantly because otherwise he won’t be able to tell what time it was. Apart from checking the time, he was constantly aware of incoming emails and calls, and responding. He couldn’t seem to help himself.
Maybe the solution is to go back to wearing a watch (particularly when you’re on vacation) so that the “I need to know what time it is” excuse is eliminated.
I know some men will say their job requires that they always, always need to be in touch with work. But is that really true? Did their boss really spell out when they were hired that there would be no complete, restful vacations allowed? I doubt it.
The bottom line is my recent week off did exactly what I expected it to do. My head is clear and I’m returning to work with a positive attitude.
Now excuse me while I wade through the more than 150 emails that piled up while I was away.
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