Does it seem that you have to cram in two weeks of extra work before you go on your summer holiday?

Do you work late the night before you leave, stressed that you haven’t got everything done?

Are your children excited days before you go on holiday, but you just don’t feel it?

This was me, until I made a mindset change. Before I tell you about this, let me tell you how it affected my holiday.

Reading Time – 2 mins

My Summer Holiday Never Started Well

My wife hated me on the flight over as I still felt stressed, my patience was very thin, and I would snap like a bear with a sore head.

It also took me a few days to change pace and start to enjoy the holiday that I had spent a small fortune on.

I would also become unwell during the second week with an ear infection or cold and flu symptoms as my body slowed down, relaxed and tried to repair itself. It was not man flu, so nothing too serious. My wife would always pack painkillers and cold and flu tablets as she knew what was coming.

But then there was a trigger that caused a mindset change and changed my summer holiday experience forever.

Mindset Change

Many years ago, we had an end of year global video call with the CEO thanking us all for the hard work and resulting success the company achieved that year.

At the end of the call, he said to us something that changed my mindset forever. I cannot remember it word for word, but it went something like this.

I have worked in this industry for over twenty years and one thing has never changed. There is always too much work to get done. Take some relaxing time over the holiday period and enjoy yourselves with your loved ones. Don’t worry about the work it will be there when you get back.

Great leadership words that inspired me to change the way I work before I take my summer holiday as well as how I internally deal with the work not done.

Looking up the CEO in google, I see it was actually 2001 when he took over the CEO role. That shows you how good my memory is or how deep this message resonated.

Now what was I talking about?

Argh, I remember.

Now, What Can You Do?

Thinking about how you feel before you go on your summer holiday, what can you do to relieve the stress for those under your leadership?

Can you  –

• Help them prioritise, renegotiate or re-scope their remaining work with their stakeholders?
• Help them push back and delay new work coming in?
• Help them reject non-critical meetings?
• Pick up or redistribute any work for them?
• Tell them to go early the day before they go on their summer holiday and tell them not to worry about work?

What else can you do?

Now for You

What can you do from the list on your own or with the help from your boss?

Maybe you have some ideas of your own that you could action?

I hope that you act on these for both you, your team and all the families involved.

A summer holiday with your family is such as special, but very short time compared to the time you spend at work.

Enjoy it, be present, not stressed and remember you can deal with the work when you get back.

Nick