“A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking.”

~ Earl Wilson

Now that summer is finally here, it’s time for fun and relaxation with family and friends. I hope when you take time off that you take a real holiday from work, because the stress of the last couple of years means we’ve all earned a proper break.

What would it feel like to not check your email before you head to the beach? How much more refreshed would you be at the end of your holidays if you chose not to do a bit of work at the end of a busy day of sight-seeing? How much more excited would you be to get back to work at the end of your holiday if you actually took a real holiday from it?

You deserve it, so embrace it if you can.

Watch the short video below for a bit more coaxing, or read the transcript that follows.

Hey, Michelle Cederberg here out for a glorious morning walk in what has finally become summer weather in Calgary, (and here’s Islay playing in the water beside me). I have one more in-person speaking engagement in the Toronto area on July 12th and then I’m taking a couple weeks off. And usually I will post messages and try to do a little bit of work here and there, but this year I’ve decided I’m going to take at least one full week of nothing. No work, no checking in, nothing. And I challenge you to do the same.

We’ve been through a couple of years of crazy, and the stress of that, combined with pivoting how we work, and having to adjust to all the challenges…plus, not getting the holidays we’d normally get, means that this summer I think we should double down on our effort to take real time off.

So when you take your holidays, make sure your out of office message is very robust, that it says when you’re gone, and that you will not be checking in. Have a voice message on your phone that says the same. Have a back-up-person in the office if you need to.

The interesting thing is, everybody else is probably going to be on holidays too, so why not just give your brain and body a break. It’s ok. Now hopefully the office won’t go crazy without you, but if it does, worry about it when you return from holidays. Put your plans in place and really enjoy your downtime.

I think we all need it. I know I sure do.

And when you’re away, spend time with the people you love, spend time in nature, spend time enjoying food and drink, and activities that will not only rejuvenate your body, but that will help you relax your mind.

That’s all I’ve got to say today. We’re heading into glorious summer time so take advantage of it, enjoy it.

Until next time, I’m Michelle Cederberg reminding you, you’ve got one chance to do this life, I say Dare to Live It Big, and dare to work less. Dare to not work on holidays. That’s what they’re for. Until net time.

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Michelle Cederberg, CSP, MKin, BA Psyc