Vacation - oh yeah, you probably need one

This year, more than any other, I have discovered the value of vacations. It seems funny to even have to say that. Everyone knows vacations are great! Right?! Well, my experience as a business owner and as a coach to business people has shown me that often we forget the real and significant value of lounging in a chair, on a beach, on a plane, etc. Lounging is the key word.
Two thoughts come to mind here. First off, people forget that a vacation is supposed to allow them to slow down. I talk to people continuously that say, oh yeah, I took 5 days off, we hit Victoria, Kelowna, Nelson, Red Deer, Saskatoon and then up to Rocky Mountain House for an afternoon. I'm sorry, did you say vacation?! This is not a vacation. This is an adventure race. If you ever come back from vacation and feel you need one it is a sign. A sign that your vacations are not full of relaxation and laziness.
Most of us pound through our days and weeks every year. Months flash by in the busy seasons (Sept-Dec, Feb-May long weekend) and we push so hard we forget just how much we need to really, really slow down. I told a client two months ago to stop and take 2 weeks of vacation immediately. I said cancel all meetings and just go home. Two weeks later she said, I think I could use another two weeks. We all can.
If you are like me, it takes 3 days to unwind and I start to wind up 2 days before I get home. So my real vacation is the days in between. You need to make vacations 10 days long as a minimum (two weekends and a week). If you can take a month off, you should. Verne Harnish author of Mastering the Rockefeller Habits says that entrepreneurs need to take months off and sabaticals every couple of years otherwise they burn out.
Get away from your daily life with a vacation regularly and you will be amazed at how you bring creativity, energy and enthusiasm back into every day.