4 Ways to have a refreshing Vacation

This is Part Two of our series on having a productive and refreshing vacation.
Read Part One Here.

In our previous article, we discussed the benefits of a productive vacation. The question that arises from that is. “How do we attain these benefits?” This is what I will address in this article, in four simple points.

Too many people return from vacations even more tired, frustrated and burned out than before they left. This is the result of choosing the wrong time or location, or not planning properly. These four tips will help you feel refreshed after a vacation instead.

1. Plan Ahead

The most crucial step to having a refreshing vacation is to plan in advance. This includes deciding where to go, when to go, how much money to budget for the trip, and how to delegate your responsibilities while you are gone. Each of these points are crucial.

Choosing the wrong destination can lead to unwanted stress when you find the location not conducive to relaxing. Going at the wrong time of the year will defeat the entire purpose of a vacation if it is a busy time at work. You will find yourself bogged down with emails and working remotely, instead of enjoying your vacation.

Not allocating enough money to cover the expenses of the trip will leave you stressed about money the entire trip, ruining the experience. And finally, not delegating your responsibilities back home and at work to someone responsible will leave you worried and anxious throughout the trip.

Take the time to plan these four aspects of your journey months in advance: where, when, how much, and who to delegate to. This will reduce your travel stress significantly, and allow you the time and freedom to enjoy your trip.

2. Choose your timing wisely

Timing is essential when deciding to go on vacation. You want to not only keep in mind busy and quite times at work, but also which times of the year you are most burned out and in need of a break.

For me, the best time to go is immediately after my busiest month at work. The busiest month is usually followed by the quietest month, and I am significantly drained enough to require a break.

Think carefully when choosing the time of the year to take off, in order to maximize your benefits.

3. Cut off all work while on vacation

If possible, completely break from work while travelling. Take official leave, delegate your tasks to others, and put your email on auto-response. Do whatever you need to do in order to make sure you are 100% on break. Your mind, body and soul all need time to completely relax, refresh and reboot.

Remember that you are doing this so that you can operate better at work. So don’t feel guilty about ignoring your emails for a week or two while you recharge. A refreshing vacation will lead to increased productivity for many months, so it is a worthwhile investment.

4. Don’t forget your duties to Allah

Finally, as a Muslim remember that there is no vacation from obeying Allah. We need to follow Islam wherever we are. While Allah has given us some concessions while travelling like allowing us to shorten and combine our Salah, we still have obligations to towards Him.

Salah, Hijab, eating Halal, lowering the gaze, etc. are all still obligations when on vacation, so do not give these up. If you do let go of your worship while travelling, you feel return feeling guilty and regretful for taking the trip, and the impact of the trip will be completely lacking any Barakah.

Simply put: Take a vacation from work, not Islam!

Conclusion

These four tips will help you return home refreshed and recharged after travelling. Remember to plan ahead, go at the right time, break from work completely, and remain vigilant on your practice of the Deen. Do so and you will have a refreshing vacation.

In Part Three of this series, I will discuss the misconception some Muslims have that vacations are prohibited. Coming soon…

Want more productivity tips? Read Getting The Barakah today!

Do vacations make you feel guilty?

Many of us feel guilty to take vacations. After learning time management and personal productivity, we feel like we need to be constantly working on something. It doesn’t help when we see some successful people boasting about how they never took a day off in 25 years. All of this adds to our guilt.

I too used to feel this way until I learned something very important: these folk are the exception, not the norm.

The average person needs regular breaks in order to function at 100%. This includes daily breaks, weekly days off, and at least once or twice a year, a proper vacation.

5 Benefits of taking a Vacation

Vacations are not a waste of time if done properly. A proper vacation will benefit you in the following ways:  (and more)

1. They reduce stress

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of a vacation is that your stress levels are reduced significantly. Being away from the usual stresses of life gives you an opportunity to rebuild, recover, and relax. All helping you get back to your chaotic life with a healthy mind.

2. They increase happiness

A proper vacation increases happiness multiple times over. being away from your usual routine, seeing the world, and trying new things (and new food) all help to increase your happiness and overall well being.

3. They improve your health

With reduced stress and increased happiness comes improved health. Particularly, the health of your heart. Studies have shown that a good vacation reduces the chance of heart disease.  This makes sense as stress is a major cause of heart problems, and vacations greatly reduce stress.

4. They help you rethink your goals and vision

One of my personal favorite benefits of a vacation is that it gives me time to reflect on my goals and vision from afar. Away from stress, business, responsibilities, and daily problems, I have more time and clarity of mind to rethink, reorganize and restructure my goals for the coming year.

In fact, I believe the final day of a vacation is probably the best time of the year to sit and organize your goals for the coming year.

5. They recharge your energy levels

Whenever I feel my energy levels dipping, I take it as my body’s natural warning that I need a vacation. Vacations are like sleep and days off, but longer. They allow your body to rest from an entire year’s worth of hard work. This allows you to return to work refreshed, recovered, and recharged.

This is why an intelligent manager will encourage their employees to take vacations when they are not operating at 100%. Because they understand the value of keeping their employees healthy, energized and focused.

You will notice that all five of these things are crucial for productivity. This is why I firmly believe that vacations are crucial for productivity.

In Part Two, we discuss tips on how to gain these benefits from a vacation.
Access Part Two here.