Vacation Pledge

Summer is now in full swing. The heat is sweltering. All of the little kiddies are now out of school getting on your damn nerves and it’s time to figure out your vacation destination. But before you do, make sure that we’re going to be taking a vacation that will incorporate rest, relaxation, and restoration. Whether we’re going to be hitting the beach, pulling out the camper, or taking that dream cruise to the Caribbean; we need to make sure that we are not taking our work with us. So I have developed a vacation pledge to help you follow through with taking a vacation and leaving worries and work behind.

The reality is that most people don’t take vacations. That’s the quickest way to find yourself on Burnout Lane and I don’t want you out here in these streets burned out over work. What we do want is to be able to take a vacation and actually utilize it as it was meant. According to an article written on marketwatch.com, approximately 54% of people did not utilize and take their vacation time last year. The main reason people didn’t take vacations? Fear. My personal observations is that most people, particularly millennials, come from a work culture where they’re fearful. This could be the fear that work will be piled up when you get back from vacation, fear that no one can do your job while you’re away, or even fear of being completely disconnected from work while you’re on vacation (which is the point). I see this all the time with my staff when they tell “alternative facts”. Who could blame them though? If you are used to a work culture where you own up to your mistakes and always suffer severe consequences as a result, you wouldn’t be willing to tell the truth either. I also personally believe that a lot of people are afraid for their job security which is why they don’t take a lot of the vacation time that’s given to them. If you’re living in the fear of someone performing your job tasks better than you and taking your position while you’re on vacation; it would make sense for you to never take time off. But here is where we’re going to get into the truth. If you’re worried about someone doing your job so well that they might take your position while you’re on vacation, then you probably need to find another job. This is no shade but as working professionals we should make ourselves valuable to the company in which we work. Anything less is mediocre work and if your shit to value ratio is out of whack, your “at will” employer certainly will not wait for you to take a vacation to let you go. So there’s nothing to worry about! Taking a vacation is important to self-care and we’re certainly not going to be worried about work while we’re on vacation.

This is why we have the vacation pledge, which you can make a copy of and save to your Google Drive (you will not be able to edit this without doing so). It is designed to address those items that you’re concerned about while on vacation and replace those concerns with things that you look forward to doing. The vacation pledge consist of 2 columns. The first column on the left are for things that you look forward to while on vacation. Plan ahead. Pick things that sound exciting or you’ve always wanted to try and place them in this column. This column should be fun and filled with ideas that will entertain you while on your trip.  In the right column, you’ll include things you want to avoid while on vacation. This column is really important.  Start with the, “things I want to avoid while on vacation” column. and use bullet points to note any and all concerns that you have about taking vacation. It could be a fear of losing your job while you’re away, a fear of the workload when you return, or a fear of things going wrong while you’re away. It doesn’t matter what your concerns are, just put them in this column. For every bullet point you put in the column of things you want to avoid, you have to put an equal number of bullet points in the column of things that you look forward to while on vacation. This is why you start with the second column and how we’re going to replace those worries and fears with rewarding restful and relaxing things to do while you’re on vacation.

Below your columns is your personal pledge. This is a statement that you’re going to use to hold yourself accountable to self care while on vacation. Fill in the first two boxes with your name and the location of your vacation. In the third box, you’re going to pull specifically from the column of things that you have to look forward to while you’re on vacation. For the last three boxes, we’re going to focus on things we can do to focus on rest, relaxation, and restoration, specifically. Choose three things (they don’t necessarily have to be from your list) that you can incorporate on a daily basis while you’re on vacation. These three things will help you enjoy your vacation and develop a little bit of a self-care routine. Finally, at the very bottom of the pledge is an accountability partner if choose to have one. I think an accountability partner is a really great idea. It’s someone you can call if you’re feeling like you’re going to get stressed out or think about work and will help you remember that you’re actually on vacation and that you’re supposed to be enjoying yourself. This is someone that will not bring up work talk, so choose this person carefully. It’s also a good idea to have a person you can check in with while you’re on vacation.

Get a copy of the vacation pledge for yourself to stick inside your luggage or keep on you smart device. Check out sample of my vacation pledge and share with fellow travelers!