Is your vacation a calendar entry or a permission to recharge your batteries?

Imagine this: summer vacation begins. Work emails have officially died down, but your head is racing. Vacation days are packed from morning to night – trips, parties, renovations, meetings, “now that I have time” projects. The days easily become a new to-do list. The only difference is that you don’t get paid for these tasks. The manager’s vacation stress wasn’t a myth, it was reality.

Sound familiar?

Far too many people return from vacation to the lathe more exhausted than when they left. Not because the work is too hard – but because we no longer know how to rest and recover. And this applies especially to managers and supervisors, who are burdened by responsibility even when their work phone is in airplane mode.

As a leader, you set the direction – including when it comes to rest and recovery. If you don't stop, your team won't stop either. And if no one stops, there's no point in expecting any extraordinary business results in the second half of the year.

A vacation is a real investment

Think about it for a moment: When was the last time you gave yourself permission to truly rest?

A vacation isn't a blank space on the calendar. It's a place where recovery happens. And recovery looks different for each of us. For some it is silence and stopping, for others it is activity and adventure. For some, relaxation is found in a hammock, for others in a marathon. 

It's not the method that matters – it's the feeling: How do you feel when everyday life starts again? I was well rested, or maybe I was just thinking, "It's great to be able to rest after work!"?

When you return to work truly recovered, you will be in a better position to make decisions, to lead people and face the pressures of everyday life. At the same time, you are a role model for others – that recovery is part of achieving results, not the opposite. People who have recovered well from vacation are proven to be more productive employees.

If you just complete your vacation like another project among others, no one will ultimately benefit. Not you, not your loved ones, not your work community.

So take a good position and stop for a moment. Think about:

1. What really makes you relax?
2. How do you know you're truly recovered – and when was the last time you felt it?
3. If you could choose one way to keep the holiday feeling in your everyday life, it would be:
   What would it be?
4. If your holiday calendar is full, where could you lighten up?
5. How have you ensured that you don't have to think about autumn chores during your vacation?

When you stop for a moment, you may notice what you need most. To quote a major Finnish brand – A rested mind, a more productive autumn. 

Have a happy, peaceful and recharging summer – let's enjoy it to the fullest.