The lack of proper rest in the intervals between working weeks with time can lead to emotional burnout. But does the presence of the weekend itself give this guarantee? Not at all. I was convinced in my experience of the futility of the weekend when I realized that Saturday and Sunday do not reduce the feeling of tiredness from work. I had to reconsider the place of rest in my life, as a result of which I formulated several tricks that helped me to use my free time from my work.
1. Completion of unfinished processes
One of the main reasons for the ineffectiveness of my vacation before was that I was constantly worried about current affairs at work. The time of inactivity as such tormented me, because at these moments events independent of me could occur. Therefore, there was no question of a complete separation from work. Physically, I was removed from the office, but my thoughts were there.
How to eliminate this unpleasant psychological effect? First you need to understand that in any case, not everything depends on you, even if you are in the center of the working environment. What can we say about vacation, when for weeks things happen that you can not even suspect. But vacation is still necessary for the accumulation of new energy.
The feeling of completeness of the processes lying on my responsibility allows me to gain a sense of calm on vacation. In the last days of the working week, I give all my best to go on the weekend with a sense of freedom. All the questions and problems associated with the work, I will take on Monday, coming to the office with renewed vigor.
2. Planning for the next week
Probably, nothing helps to get rid of obsessive thoughts about the upcoming work week, as a clear understanding of its content. In the previous example, I already emphasized the importance of completing the processes launched last week, which is part of reducing the future load. But the development of a plan for upcoming affairs and tasks as such gives a positive psychological effect.
I know that I will be waiting on Monday, Tuesday and the following days. Moreover, I complicate the lists, including the principles of prioritizing between tasks. Within the framework of the permissible, I distribute cases at my discretion according to the degree of their importance and labor input. Thus, in principle, the optimal operating mode for me is set. This control allows me to control the work, and not vice versa. Accordingly, rest is less dependent on thoughts about the office.
3. Goal setting
No one is immune from accidents, unpleasant surprises and other force majeure circumstances that may occur at work. But you can minimize them if you try to look at your responsibilities more widely. Monitoring tasks over time is important, but an attempt to more broadly manage their functions as part of the overall life of the company will bring additional benefits.
A wide view means that the employee will see not only the immediate tasks, but also, in principle, the goals that the company sets for him. Even if they are not directly formulated. I try to delve into the global processes of the company as much as possible in order to clearly understand my role in them. This vision gives me more information about my responsibility and my tasks. As a result, I can more effectively manage my activities, forming the guidelines not only for the precise implementation of specific tasks, but also for achieving major goals, which, again, are not set before me by the authorities.
Conclusion
Returning to rest, I can say that over time, achieving a high level of control over my work allowed me to go on vacation with a clear conscience and calm. And even more importantly, in such a relaxed state on Monday, return to business without a hint of stress from the things that have fallen on me. I know well what awaits me on the day I arrive at the office, even after a long break.
In the first stages, I also used the rule of emergency communication with colleagues, when they could contact me to solve certain problems during my vacation. The very feeling that there was such an opportunity reassured me, too, because I was not in a state of complete unknown. But now there is no need for this precisely because of the clear control of my duties during working days.