Why working on holiday rarely works

This is not a post about working flexibly while travelling. In fact, it is the opposite.

Two years ago Yvette was on the trip of a lifetime in Europe. The timing was tricky because the travel had been booked a year earlier, when The Y Principle was in its infancy. The plan was simple: work flexibly along the way, just like everyone on LinkedIn seems to do.

The truth is that working is not that clear when you are on holidays. It is hard to see, hard to focus, and sometimes an awkward balancing act. You are in a different headspace, work fades into the background (as it should), and your surroundings are far clearer and more enticing.

Not only was the screen difficult to see, the motivation was not there either. Any work done in that state was going to be a feeble attempt at doing as little as possible to get by, which is not how we roll at work. Luckily, there was a backup plan and a team back home helping to support the business.

Here is the lesson: do not work while on holidays. It is not worth it. Holidays are meant for a health and wellbeing recharge, so you feel better and more focused when you return to work.

The other thing worth knowing is that your boss or your employees will not remember that you took time out of your paid holiday to work. But your partner or family, who are with you at the time, will remember that you prioritised work over them. Read that again.

So when your next break comes around, use your planned holiday time to recharge and reset. And if you need help while you are gone, Ask Y.