The Quarterly Vacation

Photo by Chris Windras at stock.xchng.

It’s that time of year! Vacation, sun, relaxation, friends, family, fun trips, and good food.

I come from Sweden where vacation is sacred. Five weeks of paid vacation and people actually take it! Many Swedes go to their summer cottage on a lake or by the ocean. Others travel to Europe or other parts of the world. It is not unusual for family-owned businesses to shut down for a few weeks in July while the family goes on vacation.

I was shocked when I moved to the US in the mid-1990s and discovered that most people have only two weeks of vacation. Furthermore, it seems like vacation is a test. If you use up all of your vacation time, it is a sign of lack of commitment and work ethic. On the other hand, people who claim “I haven’t taken a vacation in five years” are deemed to be hard-working and dedicated.

For several years, I got sucked into the “I don’t have time for vacation” mode. I would take some days off, but not frequently and definitely not vacare (free, empty, or at leisure). My definition of vacation was working away from the office. I was tired all the time. Then around a year and a half ago, I decided that if I was to avoid burnout, not only did I need to take a yearly vacation, I needed a quarterly vacation. Since then, I have noticed improvements in my stamina, my productivity, and my ability to think clearly.

I am fortunate enough to have a good bit of vacation at my disposal. In fact, I could take a week every quarter and still have time left over. However, even if you don’t have much vacation, you can still take a quarterly vacation. Here is an example of how you can make two weeks stretch into four vacations per year:

• March: Take a four-day weekend (2 days off)
• July: Take the four days adjacent to the 4th (4 days off)
• Sept: Take a four-day weekend around Labor day (1 day off)
• Dec: Take the three days between Christmas and New Years holidays (3 days off)

In order to get the most out of your vacation, make sure everybody knows you’re going to be out and not checking email. I have found that the best way to feel relaxed about being away is to make sure people know to call my cell phone in the case of an emergency. So far, it has happened only once.

I’m not saying that the quarterly vacation is right for everybody. Some people may need 2-3 weeks at a time to really relax. If that’s the case, make sure you get one of these longer vacations every year.

One more point: There is no good time to take vacation. You can plan ahead and around releases and there will still always be something urgent that needs your attention. It can wait. Go have fun, relax, and come back refreshed and motivated. You can’t afford not to take vacation.

Bonus: This video on BNET has some interesting thoughts on vacation and productivity.