How to ditch workation habits and enjoy a work-free holiday

Like “staycation,” “workation” is a 21st-century lifestyle change caused the confluence of the need to take a break on one hand, and doing it while considering other factors on the other. For example, a staycation is enjoying the comfort of a well-earned holiday without having to leave one’s home city or hometown. Workation is not as stress-free: it does mean taking a vacation but allowing certain elements of one’s work life to intrude in what was supposed to be time off from work.

CBS Miami says that most of this tag-along work takes the forms of office-related emails. Smartphones and other easy-to-carry devices keep millions of Americans plugged to their work. While many of them can choose not to check their inboxes, they still do in the fear that they might miss out on reading an important memo or document. That possibility alone is enough to get them stressed. In the Accountemps survey cited by the article, about 54 percent of Americans who are on official vacation will still check their email once or twice a week. About 15 percent do it every day.

Gen-Xers who grew up and started their careers long before the launch of the internet find it easier to unplug. On the other hand, millennials who could carry a smartphone as early as their toddler days do have a hard time distancing themselves from their online responsibilities.

Entrepreneur says that it is possible to enjoy a work-free holiday without having to worry about missing out on important developments, or displeasing partners, colleagues, and bosses who might have forgotten that you had taken your earned leaves. Just heed the following tips to have a restful holiday:

First and foremost, as much as possible, finish all the tasks assigned to you during their set deadlines before you take your leave. Leaving work half-done will nag at you while you are away, and it can cause your colleagues to follow you up in case they do have questions or need your guidance.

Second, if it is totally impossible to finish those tasks, then delegate. Give your staff every bit of information they need to accomplish them, exact timetables, and the people they should report to.

Use automation to work for you, instead of against you. Leave an auto-reply in your email informing anyone who contacts you, from subordinates to partners, that you are on vacation. Leave exact dates of your departure and return.

Finally, discipline yourself. Avoid the need to check your email or smartphone every single minute. Enjoy your break and make it totally work-free. Opportunities like these are rare—savor them.