Monday Musings: Revisiting a Favorite Post from 2022

In celebration of And She Writes' 5th Birthday, we'll spend the next few months sharing some of our favorite posts since the blog's inception. I want to begin with one from July 2022 called Monday Musings: Unplugging on Vacation. It's a timely, relevant topic and a good reminder to enjoy vacations and PTO without work distractions.

In my original post, I shared the positive outcomes when unplugging from work. The list is a wonderful refresher on why we need time away from the office:

• I am more engaged with my family and the activities when I’ve committed myself to dealing with work after our trip/vacation. If there is a work emergency, I can be reached but rarely is this necessary.

• I don’t have to switch gears from work to family modes continuously. It’s less mentally and emotionally exhausting. This was a hard habit to break, because during the height of COVID I was working from home full time and my children were remote learning. The lines between my professional and personal life became very blurry to the point of nonexistence.

• I prepare on the front end to be away from work. It’s more time-consuming in the days leading up to my time out of the office, but I am always grateful once I am on leave.

• When I return to work, I feel refreshed, reenergized and ready to get back to my projects, goals, etc. that I’ve been planning for and working on. This is the purpose of PTO!

When I wrote this post, it was in the aftermath of COVID-19, and I had to consciously work to maintain boundaries between my professional and personal time. Three years later, I have become more protective of my personal time because I have experienced the positive effects unplugging has had on my career. I am a better team member and employee when I let myself enjoy time away from the office by keeping my computer and work phone turned off for days at a time. I return to work invigorated and recharged!

I hope you all will take time in the next few months to unplug and spend time doing something you love. You are worth the investment and you'll be better for it!