Why Are We So Bad at Vacation?

There’s the churning stomach. “If I can just get to Friday evening.”  I have the classic 1981 Loverboy song “Working for the Weekend” playing on a loop in my head. But then there’s also the excitement. “Time away to relax and chill.”

Vacation time is a funny thing in the U.S. We take work entirely too seriously, and we don’t take nearly enough breaks throughout the year. Our European and South American friends could teach us a thing or two about “going on holiday.” And when we finally do go on vacation? We never really put work completely away. We’re always a smartphone notification beep away from getting sucked back into work email and the issues that come with it. The stats are out there—we all know the connection between limited vacation, high blood pressure, and stress-related health problems. We get it. But fighting for that time off can still feel like a fight to the death against the people who control our schedules. It’s a tough battle against the “man in charge.”

Finding the Reset

I love vacation time, and I truly try to enjoy my time off.

We went away for a short week recently to the beach, and it was interesting. I found myself looking forward to the break months in advance. Then, during the week itself, I was rudely pulled out of my revelry to handle a work emergency. Oh it was nothing huge. I just needed to make sure I scheduled some travel for the week when I was back in the office.

In my mind, though, I had been pulled out of relaxation and thrust back into work mode. For those brief few seconds, I had to stand taller. I had to have my game face on instead chilling in the moment. In a weird way, it was a stark reminder of life’s balance. On one hand you have freedom to do what you want to do. On the other, you’re watching a clock or answering to a ping.

The Ultimate Out of Office 

Experiencing that freedom makes me realize how close I am to retirement—and how much I can’t wait to spend my days exactly how I want. I’m still a few years away, but I’m not worried about boredom. I have the hobbies. I have my writing.

I can’t wait to volunteer. I can’t wait to give up the daily stress. More than anything, I can’t wait to finally say that I “gave at the office,” step away, and spend the afternoon doing whatever I damn well please.

Oh, the wait. I’ll get there, but it can’t come fast enough if you ask me.

How about you? 

When you finally get to the beach or step away for a break, can you actually leave the smartphone in the bag, or are you secretly checking your emails between waves? Drop a comment and tell me how you really unplug.

Finally, I’m curious. If you had the afternoon off right now to do whatever you damn well pleased—no clocks, no pings—what would you be doing? What’s the passion or hobby that keeps you “working for the weekend”?