The plane touches down on the tarmac. If you are on a flight to/from Jamaica, there’s probably a round of applause, and maybe a “Thank you Jesus” or “Praises to Jah”. As it taxis to the gate, you switch on your phone to check your messages and see what’s happened in the world in the few hours you have been in the air. You remain strapped in your seat though, mentally running through the deplaning, Immigration and Customs procedures, and the final phase of your journey to your home. You are eager to get up and get moving, tired of being trapped in a metal tube with a hundred or so strangers, and grateful to be at your destination. The plane stops, the “Seatbelt Off” button rings, and the air comes alive with the clicks of seatbelts being loosened, overhead bins opening, and chatter, as you finally acknowledge the stranger who sat beside you during the flight. Your vacation is over.
The next day you’re at your desk, ready, you think, to jump into work. You open your emails, take one look at the hundreds that have come in during your absence (hopefully, you didn’t check your emails on your vacation) and feel a strong urge to go back to bed. You are not ready for the vacation to be over.
Suppose, like the pilots of your flight, you had taken the time to taxi to the gate (work), to settle yourself, to adjust before deplaning? What might this entail? Here are 5 tips, tried and proven by my commitment to, and practice of taking regular, joyful vacations:
- Schedule a day between arrival and work. Of course you want to eke out every minute of your vacation, but taking a day to ease back to work will help you to transition from vacation to work mode. Unpack, water your plants, replenish your fridge, do your laundry – mundane but important tasks like unlocking your seatbelt and gathering your belongings before you exit the plane.
- Create a new list of “Things to do”, rather than continuing the one lying on your desk or on your computer. Vacations are times for relaxing, exploring, doing new and different things. For awhile, you have taken a break from your “normal” which provides the space, whether consciously or not, for reflection, new insights, reordering priorities and commitments. With this new perspective, it’s refreshing to start from scratch and make a brand new list.
- Leave your “OUT OF OFFICE” email notification on, and go through your emails slowly. If you choose to respond, schedule “SEND” for the next morning, your first day back at work.
- Transition your body – take a walk, run or go to the gym. Remember that the day before, you traversed the stress of at least two airports, and sat for a long time, both in the departure area and on the plane. You need to get your body moving, especially if you changed time zones. PS: the next time you travel, consider booking a massage for the day after your return.
- Go to bed early. Snuggle into the sweet comfort and coziness of your bed. You want to awaken the next morning fresh, alert and ready to work with the same joy that your vacation brought you.
Returning from vacation doesn’t have to be a drag if you take the time to taxi to the gate.
