“There is never a good time for a busy man to take a vacation. And since there is never a good time, he might as well take it whenever he wants.” – Bill Buckley
While my work output has never been so prodigious as Bill Buckley’s–magazine founder, editor, television show host, author of some 50 books and countless syndicated columns–I keep busy enough with a young family, a couple businesses, and the wearing of multiple hats.
So when my wife and I made plans to decamp for a week along with some beloved family and friends, I knew that regardless of how I felt about the timing, Buckley’s maxim would hold true: there’s never a good time to take a vacation.
I made my inbox as tidy as possible, communicated with clients about projects and timelines, and made sure important deliverables were on track. And then…poof. We were gone.
No inbox checking just in case.
No taking phone calls.
No emergencies that I had to address.
It was beautiful, and necessary.
Homo Economicus
My default setting is over-functioning. I say yes to more projects than is prudent, and like to charge pretty hard at life. But what I’ve discovered over the years is that absent regular breaks in the rhythm of work and leadership, I can very easily become homo economicus, constantly maximizing my own utility, and convinced that without my effort things will inevitably fall to pieces.
Does this sound familiar? Maybe you’re like me, and you’ve become comfortable living in the danger zone, approaching the Red X, and failing to recognize the diminishing returns on your efforts even as your busyness increases.
Jeff Boersma puts it this way:
“If there is no room left in our lives to recharge, we run the high risk of losing important things professionally, personally, and relationally.”
Right Sizing your Work
One of the key benefits of regular vacations and breaks from work is that it allows us the space to right size the work itself and our role as leaders, and it helps us break habits of over-functioning. A hallmark of good leadership is that your team has been equipped and empowered for success even in your absence. That involves casting vision, hiring for your voids, modeling how to lean into healthy conflict, among other important tasks.
But as I’ve written about recently, every leader will eventually pass the baton to another. And with rare exceptions, professional legacies get superseded by personal legacies. Stated a little differently, what we’re all left with when the work is done are the relationships we’ve cultivated (or not) along the way.
Esther Perel says that “the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.” That may be a little overstated, but I think she’s largely correct.
Breaks from work, whether it be a staycation here in west Michigan, or an international holiday, provide the necessary distance to get perspective on our work even as we invest in ourselves and the relationships that we hold dear.
You have to be Intentional
Meredith Nieuwsma offers seven great reasons for using your vacation days on our blog, but I think what she really captures is the idea that good leaders are intentional about their vacation, and take their rest seriously:
“I believe that the best leaders are intentional about taking time off, not just for their own benefit, but because it also benefits their teams, their families, and their future.”
If you’re reading this blog, you’re likely the kind of leader that wants to make a positive impact on the teams and community you serve. I encourage you to consider how that impact might be multiplied if you were well rested, and surrounded by strong and supportive relationships in and outside of your work environment.
Remember your “looking back at 95” exercise from Chapter 11? It’s all about purpose, legacy, and impact. It’s about keeping the main things in front of you, making sure the important doesn’t get gobbled up by the urgent.
I think the cumulative effect of intentional vacation and rest over a lifetime of work will play an outsized role in ensuring that the life and impact you desire at 95 is actually the one you’re living right now.
So how about you? Is it a struggle to take time away from work? What holds you back? And as the holidays are just around the corner, how much vacation time do you have in the bank? How might you be more intentional about using that time for your own good and the good of those you serve this year?
We’d love for you to leave a comment and let us know what resonates with you.
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