“A one day holiday can at times be better than a one week vacation if you totally unplug for that one day!” – Catherine Pulsifer
I don’t do long vacations. Never have. They just are not right for me as a hyper-driven individual that works in a creativity-based knowledge economy. I do, however, unplug regularly.
Come summer, I physically relocate most weekends to our family cabin in the mountains. The change is simultaneously relaxing and stimulating, exactly what a holiday is meant to be. I have little contact with the outside world due to the lack of cell service and antique internet (this place had a party line until the mid-1980s), and the removal of distractions combined with the peaceful silence (both physically and emotionally) allows the quiet voices in my head to be heard.
Unplugging like this, whether it is putting your cellphone on do not disturb and spending the day with kids on an adventure or going for a hike or out on water for a day may not have the cache of a jaunt to Europe for a week, but is easier to plan and execute and can be repeated and varied in such a way that there is regularly scheduled maintenance for your spirit.
Sometimes, a day off is just enough, just what you need to take the edge off and get back in your game. A breather instead of a full break. As long as you fully unplug before plugging yourself back in.