The vacation process starts several weeks before you leave, says Pamela Ammondson, author of Clarity Quest: How to Take a Sabbatical Without Taking More Than a Week Off. Begin by getting enough sleep and some exercise. Then start taking seven-minute mini-sabbaticals in the middle of the day—outdoors or somewhere relaxing such as a flower shop or art gallery. You can also try one-day outings. And of course, it always helps to remember that the upcoming vacation is your time, not your employer's, and hone your skills at saying no to overwork.
So What's The Ideal Getaway?
Some of us have a list with a lifetime's worth of dream trips planned out. Others find it hard to choose. Christensen has several tips for winnowing the prospects:
- Think back on the best moments of prior vacations. Were you contemplating dawn from a desert spa, or were you whooping it up at a tiki hut? Pick a vacation that has similar elements.
- If you're traveling with a partner, be prepared to compromise. One of you might want to do nothing but lie on the beach, while the other wants to hike, shop or visit art galleries. Be frank about your differences, Christensen says, and even spend time apart if that helps.
- Be open to surprises. Generals know that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. Similarly, no vacation unfolds exactly as planned. Maintain your sense of humor and try to view unexpected events as opportunities, rather than obstacles.
Even with the best preparation, some vacations don't live up to expectations. Perhaps you just can't slip into that mindfully relaxed state you were hoping for. Perhaps once you reach the beach, you realize you'd have rather gone to Europe. "You can't guarantee the weather—externally or internally," Christensen says.
