Vacation: Put it on Your To-do List

After coming back from a short weekend vacation, I couldn’t help but think to myself: I need to do this more often. There are a few things that made me think this. Obviously, vacation is a good thing, but there were some specifics that made me really appreciate this particular vacation.

Before I explain the specifics, let me explain the nature of this vacation. It was short. It was only a weekend. It was near home. We didn’t travel far away. This vacation wasn’t supposed to be the most relaxing or the most extravagant. It was simple, but clearly very effective.

So what made this vacation so effective? For starters, I had it on the calendar for a while. This sounds like a no-brainer, but when it comes to short trips and simple plans, they often get moved to the back burner or completely put off. It is easy to make room for big plans, but little things often get overlooked.

Vacation To-do List
Item 1: Schedule a quick vacation

Once this vacation was on my calendar, I could start planning the details. This really means that my wife could start planning the details. She has a knack for planning and organizing many things and vacations are one of them. Now that my calendar was blocked, I could be sure that those details would get done when we got to that date.

Vacations are something that we find very valuable. We have always taken them and some of our best memories have come from these trips. We do different things on some, others are similar activities done taking place in new locations. No matter what we do, things are planned ahead of time so we are ready and jump right into the enjoyment when we get there.

Vacation To-do List
Item 2: Plan the details

The calendar is marked, the details are coming together. The closer we get to the vacation, the more clearly we understand what will be done. Now is when I start getting excited. The time is set aside and I can look forward to spending it doing things that I am going to enjoy.

What is the best thing I can do to make sure that I enjoy these things? The best thing I can do is be present and focus on the main objective. Now, in my day to day life, I have many things to think about. I have emails to read and return. I have calls to make, messages to return and I have other things that are kept on my calendar to make sure my business is running smoothly.

That is just the business side of my life. At home, there is whole list of things that have to be done too. I’m not unique in this situation. We all have many things to do at work and at home. We also have hobbies and other obligations. Life is busy and it takes some practice to manage it and keep stress in check.

Keeping stress in check is no easy task. When it comes to vacations, you can do a lot for yourself just by taking them. But, that is not enough. We’ve all been guilty of this and it can defeat the whole purpose of our plans. The biggest problem we have is our inability to turn our brains off and truly focus on the vacation. It is too easy to check emails or make and take phone calls. If you don’t fully take the vacation, it doesn’t bring you nearly as much satisfaction.

Vacation To-do List
Item 3: Fully engage in your vacation

These “to-dos” are simple. At least they sound simple. The point of vacation is to get away. We want to go somewhere new and do things that are fun or relaxing. If we don’t fully commit to this, it happens, but we don’t get the results we really want. We come home feeling like we missed out or often it feels like we never left in the first place.

You don’t have to go far. You don’t have to be gone long. All you have to do is go. When you go, keep these keys in mind and you will truly feel rested and relaxed when you return. The vacation is very important part of a successful schedule. No matter how many things you have on your to-do list, make sure you make room for a real vacation.