Thermoforming Report

The Secret to a Real Vacation

Summer is here. Kids everywhere are done – or nearly done – with school. Moms and Dads probably already have some time planned to hit the beach or the mountains or… wherever you can stop and rest.

But what really constitutes a vacation? Though this seems an odd question to ask, in my experience, it is actually harder to define than you realize. As a younger man, married and with two young kids back in my days in Georgia, I had an older friend at church who offered me some sage advice as we were getting ready to go on a vacation to visit family in Florida.

“How long are you going to be gone?” he asked… fully expecting for me to say, “A week.”

He was right. We had a very busy week planned: 3.5 days with one side of the family and exactly 3.5 days planned with the other side, with about a 92-minute travel time in between. Busy. Cramming as much as possible as we could in our few days off. Vacation? Nibbling around the edges maybe… but, was it a real vacation? Upon reflection these many years later, my answer would now be a resounding “NO”.

My learned and wise friend shared a ‘secret’ he learned all too late in his life and wanted to pass it along to his younger friend who had a lot of runway. Vacation, in his experience, started on day 7.

Let me explain.

• Get home from work on Friday and start the pack and load in earnest.
• Plan to pile in the van early on Saturday morning to make the drive to [fill in the blank].
• Get there 8-12 hours later, unload, and settle in.
• Begin to enjoy various activities with your nuclear and/or extended family and friends.
• Visit an amusement park (fun… but are those really relaxing?!!), hit the beach (that definitely qualifies), take a hike on a mountain trail, or any number of other activities.
• The days fly by, and you are doing your best to decompress… when you realize it is all of sudden already Friday – DAY 7.
  • That was fast! It’s over already?!
  • You’ve had fun, but you are tired.
  • Your brain kicks in, and you are already looking at the weather for the long schlep home.
  • You start wondering about work and may even take a peek at your laptop or phone to check in. Or – better yet – did you actually turn OFF your work email notifications at all?
• Yes, you made good memories. Yes, you spent time together. Yes, you crammed a lot in, was there truly rest? Did you really vacate?

Here’s the day 7 secret that my friend shared with me: always plan ahead and take two weeks off! In his experience, the very first time he planned a two-week vacation, something happened on that magical day 7: RELIEF.

In the common scenario above, you’ve been busy, and the days fly by with fun and food and family – and Friday hits… and the get-back-to-life panic begins. But, THEN you realize you have another entire week ahead to rest!!! Now, that’s when real vacation and real stress relief and real rest happen! You wake up on day 7, and have 7 more days to go! Now – instead of coming home needing a “vacation from a vacation“, when you come back to work 14 days later, you are truly refreshed, renewed, and ready to knock it out of the park!

No matter the approach or method, “Taking vacations is… hugely beneficial to our wellbeing“. According to clinical psychologist Francine Lederer, “The impact that taking a vacation has on one’s mental health is profound. Most people have better life perspective and are more motivated to achieve their goals after a vacation.” [From “Give Everybody the Month of August Off”, Jacobin]. The overall sentiment of the article: “It’s clear: taking time off of work is extremely good for you.”

Personal Reflections

I believe it is safe to say that vacations are needed for every person that works for a living. I would strongly encourage all of us – and I’m preaching to myself in this case as well – to figure out how to take 2 weeks off in a row at least once a year.

As a small business owner, taking two weeks off is not easy! As I made the jump into small business ownership, I vowed that I would protect myself against burnout again. After 9 years in the recruiting world, I recently realized that I really haven’t taken that sage advice from so many years ago. So, I decided that it was time to adopt proven wisdom and take a ‘real’ vacation!

I returned last week after an amazing 2-week vacation! Quite a few things had to come together to make it happen – not the least of which is having a great team member to hold down the fort in my absence (thank you Lisa!).

What I can share is that I am refreshed. I do feel better. I can look ahead to the rest of the year more confidently. In my case, I didn’t spend the time to reflect on the business and assess my personal desires for where it should go. It really was about rest, making memories, and enjoying the time away from the day-to-day. Renewal. And it was worth every minute of it!

My advice: figure out how to truly vacate. It will take planning, effort, resources, and energy… but, trust me, it will be worth it!