Vacation

Hear me out: you can take a vacation.

You get to take a vacation.

An afternoon, a day, a long weekend, a week--brave ones will say two weeks.

Some will tell you this is wrong.

You might tell yourself that you cannot walk away.

And, for sure, there are various degrees of "offline" and "unavailable" to apply when you go OOO (out of office).

But: there is no magic billable hour number, or time put in, that triggers when you can and should get away.

If you're miserable at work: you need a vacation.

If you love work and it is all you want to do: you need a vacation.

When you're ready, be intentional:

✈ decide when and where you're going and how long;

✈ decide when you'll tell your teammates about it;

✈ tell your teammates about it;

✈ ask how and if they want reminders;

✈ send reminders;

✈ keep an eye on deadlines before, during, and after your vacation window;

✈ prepare work product in advance;

✈ find coverage for unmovable things in advance;

✈ send a final reminder on the eve of your leave date, explaining the status of each matter and who is covering in your absence;

✈ explain--explicitly--how much you plan to be online or available during the vacation window;

✈ stick to that plan;

✈ prepare to catch up when you get back--a buffer day of being OOO but back home can be very helpful to create breathing room and to allow you to dig out while still not being fully available;

✈ enjoy it, be present, start planning the next one.

Vacation awaits.

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