Protect Your Vacation

A few years ago I made the mistake of planning a vacation right before a middle school work camp (Or was it planning the work camp after vacation?).  The week before any youth ministry event is filled with last minute details, phone calls and emails.  I had volunteers, parents and vendors contacted me when I should have been enjoying the beach with family.  Let’s just say I came back from vacation in need of another.

Courtesy of Jstar1223/Creative Commons License

Your rest is important and one the best ways you can refresh yourself is through vacation.  For some of you the perfect vacation is on the beach, others it’s in the mountain and for some of you it’s just catching up on all four seasons of Arrested Development.  No matter where you go or what you do it’s important to protect it and you do that by:

• Turn It Off: It’s hard to turn off all the noise going on in your life.  Vacation is the perfect time to disconnect from work and the rest of the world.  That might mean turning off the computer, and putting down the phone (After you read this post…of course).  While it feels weird not to be connected, sometimes we need to disconnect in order to slow down, breathe and refocus.

• Get Ahead: Preparing for vacation is like a squirrel getting ready for the winter.  To get ahead means creating margin so that you aren’t worrying about that PROJECT or MEETING.  Getting ahead means creating a work pace that allows you to slow down instead of stopping cold turkey.  It also means putting a plan together for when you walk back into the office.  To get ahead means scheduling out your time and prioritizing your tasks.  Delegate to your team and then walk away.

• Set Boundaries: Not everyone is going to know you are on vacation and not everyone will respect that.  To protect your vacation you need to set expectations.  That means giving a list of reasons when you can be contacted.  It also means dictating how to be contacted.  For example I tell people if they really need to touch base with me to text, “Call me now.” If I see anything else, I tend to ignore it.  Provide limits and you’ll communicate how your rest is important to you.

Protect your vacation and your protect your:

• Family
• Health
• Margin
• Time
• Soul

Don’t waste it by taking it for granted.  Plan it out, communicate that you are unavailable and rest away.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?  What do you do to rest and relax?