Back in the day, my parents would take vacation and completely escape from their work. They would be away from the office, didn’t have cellphones, and everyone knew they’d be back when vacation was over and weren’t available before that.
That was the way it was. But now things are different. Work seems to follow us and it can be tough to completely get away from it. But is that a bad thing? Some people believe that it can be helpful to keep up with some of your work, even while on vacation.
A few experts provide their insight on why they like to do a bit of work, even while on vacation:
(1) Falling behind is difficult to catch up on
Sometimes, falling behind because of a vacation isn’t worth it and can actually make things very difficult when you return, says Lucie Chavez, CMO of Radaris.
“Is a nice vacation worth two weeks of misery when you return trying to catch up? I don’t think so. In fact, I think answering emails and doing a bit of work while on vacation is a much easier way to do things. I will answer emails, respond to colleagues, review things I need to look at and more, so that when I return there isn’t a giant list of things waiting for me.”
(2) Eventually you can always be traveling
Ali Sapra of The Elite Post provides a unique piece of advice on why working during your vacation is worthwhile.
“If you can work while on vacation and be successful while doing it, then you could have a quality case for making it last longer. If you are an employee, then show your boss that you can be a quality team member while on the move. If you own your own company, then the world is your oyster and you can potentially make a living while vacation. However, you won’t be able to do this if you separate yourself from technology and avoid work while on vacation.”
(3) Because you’ll probably be thinking about work anyway
Sean Carroll of Vixen Digital knows you’ll be thinking about the work you’re missing, so why not ease your mind by keeping an eye on it?
“If you ditch your phone and laptop, but then are thinking about the deadlines you are missing while sitting on the beach, then what’s the point? Instead, I check things in the morning and at night so that I can put my mind at ease and actually enjoy my vacation.
I know that most entrepreneurs are like me and struggle to separate from their work, so why even try to change years of habit? Just do some work as you can make things easier on yourself the rest of the time.”
Is it such a bad thing to do work while on vacation?
These points have made me think that working while on vacation isn’t a bad idea. If it allows you to stay ahead of your work, eases your mind so you can enjoy your vacation and means you might be able to take more vacations each year, then perhaps it’s a good idea.
Now, if you can completely detach yourself from work while on vacation without anything piling up, then I do recommend taking a true vacation. It’s worth the experience and can really allow you to recharge and refocus so that you are even more hungry when you return.
