Fireflies, frogs and taking vacation
Get away to improve your productivity
Did you know that when in close proximity, frogs synchronize their singing, fireflies light up to the same rhythm and crickets chirp to a beat? Even humans exhibit this phenomenon of rhythmic influence, called entrainment, which can explain how an orchestra can play music, how fashion trends come and go and how complex systems like social networks are formed. Biologists believe this tendency for a social group to literally ‘get organized’ increases their chances of survival. But is being in synch always a good thing?
If your professional social group—your department, team or entire organization—works in a frenzy caused by a belief that it will give a competitive advantage, your natural tendency to be influenced by their rhythms may be causing you to work that way, too. Entrainment is a powerful force making it difficult to drive 55 miles per hour when everyone else is doing 85, even when we are actually doing better work at a slower speed.
It’s hard to get out-of-synch with this urgency. So what’s a busy, overloaded professional to do?
Well, let’s ask the frogs and the fireflies. Just as the frogs stop their synchronized singing when they can't hear each other, it’s easier for us to slow down when we put some distance between ourselves and the office. And what’s the easiest way to do that? Take a vacation!
Not only do vacations help us get out-of-synch with the urgency, they help us recharge and refuel. Taking a break from work also promotes creativity, connection with loved ones, and decreases burnout and stress. It allows us to slow down, gain perspective and recover.
Yet 40% of Americans won’t take a summer vacation this year. We earn fewer paid vacation days and forfeit more of our unused vacation days than in almost any other developed country. Is it a coincidence that our urgency and busy-ness is becoming an epidemic just as fewer of us are taking vacations? Probably not.
Getting physically away may not be enough. Technology’s far-reaching tentacles mean that even when have left the building, we still aren’t mentally disconnecting enough to do us lasting good.
Job pressures, fear of what might pile up while we’re gone, or a compulsion to work is causing more of us to skip a vacation. But unless you plan to retire in the next few months, working without a restorative break is not a sustainable approach.
Here are some ideas for making a summer vacation less stressful:
- Pick the dates for your vacation, rather than waiting for a window to open up in your schedule. It never will.
- Inform your clients, staff and colleagues well in advance.
- Decide how available you will be while you’re away. Be creative on how to be disconnected, i.e. leave a phone number with one person in case of real emergencies, rather than volunteering to check email every couple of days. Establish your boundaries and if your manager doesn’t agree, it might be time to find more life-friendly work.
- Challenge your belief that your office will fall apart without you. The sign of a great leader is that their organization runs well without them.
- Visualize all aspects of your job and review your project timelines to determine what should be delegated while you’re gone. Re-assign projects to colleagues and schedule time to give them the information they need.
- Remember that going on vacation can be a great opportunity to train and develop new talent, but give enough time to let them get up to speed—don’t frantically delegate everything the afternoon before you leave.
- Use detailed email auto-responders and voicemail greetings to give clients and colleagues clear instructions for who to contact while you’re gone.
- Create a workplace that encourages work-life balance by taking vacation and by encouraging your staff to do the same.
- If you tend to lose the ‘vacation bliss’ within minutes of returning to the office, try not to overbook your first few days back. Leave some unscheduled time to read through email, get caught up with any unexpected issues and to look at your work with your fresh perspective.
- While on vacation, send yourself a postcard at work to arrive a couple of days after your return. Receiving a “wish you were here” note from your relaxed self can help you reconnect with the peaceful state you experienced while you were away.
It’s common to feel anxious at the mere thought of being away. But realize that the break will make you stronger and more resilient in preparation for new challenges when you return. When you return rested and re-energized, you might even be able to entrain those around you to slow down just a little bit. Bon voyage!
Want to use this article in your e-newsletter or website? You can use this material in whole or in part, as long as you include this complete attribution and live link: Productivity consultant and trainer Cristin Lind of Clearwater Productivity helps busy professionals enhance their work and enrich their lives. If you’re ready to get more done with less effort, visit www.clearwaterproductivity.com.