Five panda pointers: How to switch off on your holiday

Aug 15, 2016 4:54:48 PM

Have you ever been on a lovely break, when suddenly a work related thought pops into your brain? ‘I wonder how everything is going’ or ‘I hope there aren’t too many emails to sort through’ are dangerous thoughts. Stop right there!

You are on holiday for a reason…to relax, recharge and have fun. The moment you stray into work mode, you are teetering precariously on a cliff edge and if you fall it will be pretty hard to climb back up. Here are five panda pointers to ensure you’re enjoying your holiday to the fullest.

1) The handover to end all handovers

Before you even pack your bags and catch that flight, the key to a distraction free holiday begins while you’re still at work. You are contending with keeping holiday excitement from distracting you, but also making sure all bases are covered on your end.

Spend a bit of time chatting with colleagues or the managerial team about what you’ve covered and anything that might potentially arise while you’re away. Make sure they know everything so they can cover everything with ease. If you are confident you have handed over everything you need to, you won’t need to worry about anything while you’re on your jollies. 

2) Email – The no go zone

Email is perhaps the most dangerous territory of all. If this was a nature show, email would be the Lion stalking the innocent Gazelle…which is you by the way! Once you check your email out of curiosity, the Lion will strike!

You will end up going through the lot and probably feel you should reply to one or two. Just don’t do it! Hopefully there’s no Wi-Fi by the pool but if there is just turn it off! Better still, jump in the pool before temptation takes hold…you don’t want to take your phone in there. Speaking of phones…

3) Let your phone have a holiday too

I suppose a holiday isn’t a holiday without a boastful ‘Happy Monday’ Instagram post, overlooking a lovely beach. So we know you want to show off and we cannot deny you a holiday selfie or ten. Furthermore, it’s always important to keep your phone with you on a holiday so we’re not suggesting keeping it in the hotel safe either.

Unless you really need it, keep your phone within reach but out of sight. Why not bring a book to keep you entertained at the pool, rather than your phone. Let’s face it; once you lose all of your Angry Birds lives, you might close the app in frustration and let curiosity take you into work territory. Don’t let that happen! 

4) Introduce an ‘overtime’ forfeit

If you’re travelling on your own, this might be tricky. If you are, our challenge to you is to chat to the locals and make some friends at the pool!

If you’re in a group, family or friends, introduce a forfeit for anyone who does any overtime while they are on holiday. This can include looking at emails, responding to an email or even writing a few work notes. Anything that is remotely work related is off limits and incurs the forfeit. You can decide what that is; whether they buy a round of cocktails or they are thrown in the pool, it’s completely up to you! 

5) No countdown to the return home

I think everyone is guilty of this one! On the first day of your holiday, the excitement takes hold and there is no sense of urgency. A few days down the line, it feels like it’s only been one day. Time flies and all that!

It’s here that a bit of dread kicks in, like holiday blues that start while you’re still there. ‘Aww, only four days left’ for example, is a thought you need to expel immediately. Why worry about getting back to the daily grind while you still have time left to top up your tan, have a dip or explore the local area? Have a good cry on the flight home instead.*

Just enjoy every second you’re there. You have worked hard for this so don’t waste any time worrying about what’s waiting when you get back to work. Sure there will be holiday blues, but we’re sure you’ve tackled much worse.

**We do not condone crying on the flight home, AT ALL!

There you have it! We know this post has been slightly biased towards sunny pool holidays, but there’s a chance that you adventurous types will be struggling to get signal while you’re camping in the wilderness. If you do however, all of these rules apply…just improvise a little! 

What do you think?

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