That comes when you live in alignment with your truth and close connection to the sound of the birds and the joy in your heart. I don’t want my life to feel like I’m constantly jammed into a power point – an energy that’s so wired and buzzing as it tries to cope with the chaos of life, not devices, but outside demands and dissatisfied daily steps. Unplugging from life’s chaos is what it craves more. I love going into the Wilderness to digitally unplug (and am this weekend), but it’s not what my soul and body craves for well-being.
I use it for its purpose – a communication tool – not as a means to turn me away from what’s important because I don’t know what that is, or I’m too afraid to join it. Travel helps me stay connected to within, despite being plugged into my devices. It’s why we travel so much and encourage you to do the same.
If your organization is considering launching technology initiatives that empower employees to pursue alternative work options, check our blog How to Launch a People-First Digital Transformation.Unplugging from the chaos is a theme of our travel blog – accumulating memories and moments, not just possessions. Remember, you have the power to unplug or not unplug depending on what works best for you, and you are in control of your career satisfaction. It’s only bad if that impulse is stress driven - if you feel pressured by workplace anxiety or an overloaded task list. Generally speaking, checking in with work when you’re away may not be the worst thing. Rather than telling a client their message will be received in x amount of days, maybe just tell them their message has been deleted, and encourage them to email someone else or respond when your vacation period has concluded.Īlso, emailing less, in general, is good for you. Have an out of office email that’s unique and perhaps brutally honest, like some of these. There’s more to that point below.ĭon’t Just Turn on Your Out-of-Office Email, Turn it Up Management needs to create a consistent expectation that respects time off. The ability to unplug on vacation is often more so a question of management implementing consistent expectations than an employee shutting off their worker-bee personality. If you really need to unplug, perhaps it’s time to nudge management to create a consistent protocol. This will help you relax while you’re away and make returning to work easier. That’s why it’s best to communicate your absence early on and be deliberate about offloading tasks to other capable team members. We leave work, but work doesn’t leave work. Most of us take time off because we need to unplug.Īnd when we take a vacation, we have to work twice as hard - before and after - to make up for that lost time. Should we be expected to check in? What steps can be taken to ensure we return refreshed? Tips for Effective Unplugging It’s different, though, when we deliberately decide to unplug on vacation. Good management puts people first and steps out of the way to empower employees to fulfill their own success. The bottom line is people should be able to work when and where they want. Some employees are not productive from 9 to 5, so pursuing alternatives could work to everyone’s advantage. Connectivity has been made convenient for a reason. Ultimately work-life balance is about finding the right integration that works – for you.
They might be hitting a stride and getting stuff done. If a colleague sends an email at midnight, it might not be a point of concern. After all, workforces all row the boat together but that doesn’t mean we all have to row at the same time. And some of us do our best work late at night. While the inability to unplug is generally thought of as negative, it’s very possible we’re so connected because work is truly motivating. With our all-access, always-on culture, perhaps unplugging just doesn’t feel natural. Regardless of age, it’s very common for workers to check in when they’re out of the office. According to this survey, Millennials have the hardest time unplugging, then Gen X, then Baby Boomers. While most of us don’t want to work all the time, when we’re away from work a lot of us are thinking about work and regularly checking in. Maybe Not, It’s Just the Way of the Future