How to ruin your holiday recharge in 4 easy steps (like I just did!)

I recently booked a 2-week break with my husband to recharge and relax. We were limited to local destinations given the Coronavirus restrictions but still managed to find a beautiful houseboat on a lake for the first week and a house in the forest for the second week.

Then… I ruined it…

Given my experience and specialisation – guiding people on how to use extended breaks from work (like sabbaticals) to recharge and grow, you’d think I could get this stuff right. But no. I fell victim all the classic pitfalls I warn my clients to avoid. And it was so easy for me to do!

I ruined my chance to recharge.

I broke all the rules in the Recharge Model for getting the most value out of your time off. The Recharge Model is simple enough to follow:

- Relax – do activities you find relaxing

- Control – ensure you have control of your schedule and activities

- Nourish – your body, mind and soul

- Detach – disconnect from work

So here’s how I screwed it all up…. In four easy steps for you to NOT follow!

Step 1 – Don’t detach from work

In the lead up to my holiday, I kicked off a new client project and due to some tight timelines, I knew it would be easier if I just did some work to keep things moving along while I was away. A meeting here, a few hours there… sitting on a houseboat on a lake… it would be relaxing right?

WRONG!

Each day I had a client meeting or needed to do some work, I woke up dreading it. And I usually love my work! Even though I wasn’t working full days, in my non-work hours, I wasn’t recharging. I still felt exhausted. Staying connected, even for part of the time was basically the same effect as working full time at home. It totally usurped my recharge.

Step 2 – Forget to nourish your body, mind and soul

I totally forgot to nourish my body. I was out of my routine so I wasn’t doing the basic things like drinking enough water or eating enough fruit. Even I was surprised when I realised I wasn’t meditating as much. I was overlooking the most beautiful lake! You can get more mediative than that! What