Content provided courtesy of USAA.
Recharging yourself and your career on vacation seems like the last thing that you should do. After all, it is a vacation so you should forget about work, commutes, your boss, and that project that is always behind schedule. In fact, the best thing that you can do for your career while on vacation is to do a number of little things to aid in your success.
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Plan Your Return. Plan to return from vacation on a Thursday. This way you can unpack, do laundry, run errands, and update your email box on Friday and the weekend. One of the ways vacations do not recharge your career is that you return from vacation and go immediately into the office. Instead, plan your return from vacation as thoroughly as you plan your vacation.
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Balance the Schedule. Balance your vacation daily schedule with time for family, spouse, and just for yourself. Even family members need some of their own alone time so a plan that meets everyone’s individual needs will be more than appreciated.
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Have a Day or Two With No Plans. Sometimes the best plan when you are in a new area is just to have no plan at all. Walk the streets, find a park, a new coffee shop, and just be open to exploring and finding unexpected views.
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Just Sit By Yourself Outside. Just being alone, even for 30 minutes, will help relax and recharge your spirit. Being alone with no people, no phones, or distractions will be its own reward.
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Plan Some Exercise. Plan to be active on vacation – at least a little bit. Exercise can be hiking, golf, yoga in the woods, or swimming. Some exercise on vacation will calm your mind, encourage thoughts, and help maintain your health.
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Put Adventure On The Menu. Just like reading, eating something completely new will also open you to new experiences and different tastes that will open you to change and new ideas.
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Put Down the Phone for a Day. Spend the day focused on activities, your family, and relaxation and leave the phone behind. Start with the morning or afternoon and then work up to an entire day with no phone, email, or text messages.
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Read Something Completely Different. To help your mind recharge, don’t read a business book, read something completely different. Read a book on ballet, on astronomy, or on a civil rights leader. Understanding different perspectives and different ways to think will help your creativity when you return to work.
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Sleep. Vacation seems like a time that we need to do . . . more. Stay up late, see friends, have a long dinner at a beachside restaurant. All of these items are important, but plan to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.
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Update Your Resume. After you have had a chance to relax, dedicate 30 minutes to update your resume. Set a timer and do the best updates you can. You will be surprised how much can be done in 30 minutes.
Having a vacation to recharge your career is a vacation that opens you to time with yourself, new perspectives, new food items, sleep, exercise, and appreciated the unexpected. Have a great trip.
Source: Legion News
