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Vacation, Stay-cation and Fake-ation

annie-spratt-3bh3elC0D7M-unsplash | Annie Spratt on UnSplash
annie-spratt-3bh3elC0D7M-unsplash | Annie Spratt on UnSplash

I have learned, this summer, that vacation can be complicated.  Essentially, vacation should be about taking a break from your every day routine.  Now that we work from home offices. WiFi gives us email access everywhere, so how do you actually take a break?

My first week off this summer was not a break.  I was planning to use the week as if it were six Saturdays in a row.  I was going to catch up on house chores, run errands and gorge on Netflix.  I did not plan appropriately, because I was feeling pretty low-key about it,.

I didn’t tell my clients or make arrangements to hand over my projects to my capable colleagues.  I don’t think I even activate my out-of-office notifier.

Guess what happened?  I worked every day.   Not all day like I usually do, but every day.

Halfway through the week, my husband declared that I was not on a stay-cation but rather a fake-cation. (And in his opinion, I was fooling no one!)

But I learned my lesson.

I started planning for my next vacation about three weeks out.  I told my colleagues and clients and worked it into project plans.  I knew I was on the right track when people wished me a great week off as I left for the day on Friday.

I made plans for each day – special stuff that I would not ordinarily do. I left flextime so that I could take advantage of the weather.  As it turned out, it was super sunny and gorgeous all week.  I was not able to make a dent in my Netflix cue. But you know what?  I am not at all sad about that.

Follow Laura Machan on twitter.  Read more articles on managing your career by Laura available on Oakville News.