How do you fill your time off work?

For your workplace, there may be policies that say that employees have to take some time away - they'll see the benefits of time away on mental health and performance. A well-rested employee that's had a great time away will be an employee that's going to perform better.

Workplaces are also conscious that time away can highlight where the business is unable to function without key employees, or where employees have been running scams that weren't discovered until they stepped away from the office, so for a workplace, there can be selfish reasons why they want all their staff to take holidays too.

It's difficult if you're dependent on a routine, but it's maybe a good thing to break that routine once in a while, and unlock the handcuffs that bind us. Going somewhere different means that we don't have the same boundaries, expectations, commitments and we can explore a different side of ourselves, do things that we maybe would feel too confined to do at home. The great thing about doing that is also that at the end of the holiday, we can go back to our usual routine with maybe a bit of a spark in our step, and some thoughts of next time.

Perhaps that means unstructured - going somewhere snowy, taking some ski lessons and spending days skiing down to a great little cafe where you can veg out on the sofa with a hot chocolate, whilst nobody around us knows us and we can be who we want to be.

Planning a holiday can also benefit from our attention to detail and structure -  even if it means having a staycation, or going off to Florida for some winter sun, mapping out days, thinking about activities, can take a lot of focus and structure, things we're good at. If we know what we're doing, where we're going, what we want to see, it can make the idea of taking time away a bit easier. 

I would say make the most of it. Your employer has good reason for making sure that employees take time off. It's an opportunity to be yourself, instead of just a 9-5 employee for you too.

you're quite right about it being a good idea to challenge yourself and step outside the comfort zone, that's a good way of thinking about it!

you're quite right about it being a good idea to challenge yourself and step outside the comfort zone, that's a good way of thinking about it!