Make an Escape Plan
I was talking to a friend who’s the president of a retail business the other day and she told me she just took her first vacation in 2 years. 2 years!
We all know (and if you’re a leader, you probably tell your employees) the value of a vacation. As humans, we can’t function at 100% 24/7/365. It’s just not possible. Physically or psychologically. Then there’s what it does to you creatively. In a traditional creative role (communications, creative direction, etc.) of course but also in all roles where you have to think strategically and look for new ways to break through. How can you possibly think differently when you’re exhausted and/or staring at the same four walls? And in the case of COVID, staring at the same four walls – or more accurately of late, at the news – NONSTOP.
Yet many of us have been home without a break A LOT. Either from fears around COVID travel, trouble hiring in roles where coverage is needed.
A vacation right now, especially given what’s happening in the world, may seem like an incongruous luxury. But vacations result in “improved productivity, lower stress, and better overall mental health,” according to the Harvard Business Review. And when you’re a manager, it has a trickle-down effect: “When managers forgo vacation time, it not only places them squarely on the road to burnout, it also generates unspoken pressures for everyone on their team to do the same.”
In a swirl of horrible news, the one not-so-horrible development is that the CDC is now saying we can "travel to do some of these things that we love.”
So what might that look like for you? A few suggestions for planning your escape:
Combine business and pleasure: When I worked at M.Gemi, I once tacked a trip to Sicily with my hubby onto the start of an Italian photoshoot. Get going with business in mind, but create a moment for pleasure too.
Start with a weekend: If it feels like a lot to hop on a plane for a week, start with a short driving trip to a coastal town.
Check-in on relatives you haven’t seen in a while but stay in a hotel to have some true “getaway” moments.
Research your next nest: If you are or will soon be an empty nester, use vacation bursts to explore cities you might possibly move to at some point.
Staycation first: Once, when I had sold my condo, I checked into a hotel in my own city to work while my husband had surgery nearby. It gave me a whole new perspective without the need to sightsee. Even that can freshen your mind.
And when you get back, let your team know what getting away did for you and suggest others do the same.