Why Vacations Matter:
Most of you probably chuckled a bit when you read the title because let’s be honest, who has time for a vacation? If that’s a question you ask yourself often, then it’s probably time for a vacation. Not only do vacations reduce stress levels and increase productivity at work, but they also improve your sleep quality and help you feel better overall!
Vacations aren’t a magical cure to exhaustion and stress, but they give you something to look forward to which can encourage you to work harder in the moment. Here are some of our tips for helping you plan your weekend getaway:
1. Set aside a “travel fund”
Whether you’re gearing up for the vacation of a lifetime or a quick weekend getaway, it always helps to have some extra funds on hand. To encourage travel and vacation in your life, try to set aside a small part of your paycheck into a travel fund each month. You can promise yourself that when you reach a certain monetary amount in the travel fund, that you’ll officially book the vacation!
The cost of vacation might seem daunting, but if you’re saving away a bit of money each month, the cost won’t seem as frustrating.
2. Make a destination bucket list
Have you ever seen some far away destination on Instagram and thought “wow, I wonder what it must be like to visit?” Well now’s your chance! Every time you see a phenomenal vacation destination on social media or hear about a great vacation your friend took, put it on the list.
You never want to miss out on a great travel destination because you didn’t write it down or you simply got too busy at work to make it there. Writing down all of your intended travel plans can also go a long way in reducing work stress and allowing you to plan ahead.
3. Find a travel buddy or two
Don’t get me wrong, a solo vacation is great, but it can be really fun to vacation with a close group of friends. Once you find a close group of friends with the same interests, hang on to them and make them your travel buddies! Chances are you’ll visit a lot more interesting places together than you would separately. You’ll also likely partake in a wider variety of activities while on vacation.
Friends do a great job of pushing us out of our comfort zone and enabling us to try new things. When we’re stuck in a 9 to 5 lifestyle (or more of a 9- to whenever the mountain of work in front of me gets done), we need that sense of risk and adventure when we finally unwind from a busy work week.
4. Don’t forget about staycations
You don’t need to fly to a faraway city to get the therapeutic benefits of a vacation. Sometimes all you need is a group of friends and a camping site a few hours outside of the city. If camping isn’t your thing, then perhaps a small road trip or even a spa day in your city.
Whatever makes you put down all of your work and electronics and allows you to check out for a bit, works! We work so hard in our everyday lives that we don’t always get a chance to stop and smell the roses. You need to give yourself that time to unwind and relax so that you can head back to work completely refreshed. One of the toughest parts of the legal profession is avoiding burn out, and vacations can go a long way in helping you deal with it.