Perspectives
Shut your laptop!
There is a special magic to the beginning of carefree holidays. The everyday is far behind us – and the time of letting go begins. We notice a lightness flowing through our body with a gentle tingling sensation all the way to our fingertips. How wonderful it would be to feel this deep ease at work! Nothing could shake us: no deadline, no email, no last-minute meeting. We would brim with the silence of deep valleys, the calmness of a sultry summer day and the euphoria of bustling sandy beaches. No sign of stress in sight.
A coveted work concept actually brings this holiday mood into the office – or to be precise, moves our desk to a place of relaxation. Yay! During a workation, a portmanteau of the words for work and vacation, we combine professional tasks with holiday experiences: We work (yup, indeed), but in a picturesque place that will make us forget this circumstance in the blink of an eye. Away from our routines, new perspectives, unimagined creativity and abundant serenity unfold in a dreamlike atmosphere.
Sounds good, right? Before you drop everything to venture to your own workation right away, let's play a little mind game.
Between emails and sandcastles
You are at the destination of your dreams, maybe even in one of our cabins in the tranquility of nature. Leaves are rustling in the wind, dragonflies are buzzing through the air, the sun is shining in your face, you blink and smile with satisfaction – only to look at your laptop again. Maybe your neck is already starting to feel a bit sore, because you are actually sitting quite uncomfortably, leaning towards your screen. You are typing away, sending one email after another, working on a complicated budget plan and on a presentation, plus you also have to finish a big project. Even the beautiful surroundings can't change the fact that you're here to work. And you're slowly getting grumpy, realising that the day is almost over and the sun has only tickled you through the window so far. No swimming, no building sandcastles, no strolling aimlessly through the area, no taking your time over breakfast. Well, at least you have the evening – if you can finish on time and have enough energy left after a concentrated day.
Work-Life-Blending vs. Work-Life-Balance
Let’s face it: We are finding it increasingly difficult to draw clear boundaries between work and leisure in our modern working world. In fact, there is a word for it: work-life blending – because instead of a real work-life balance, we now just mix everything together. But if work eventually conquers so far untouched travel destinations that used to be reserved for a break from everyday life, where can we really find peace and quiet, after all? If we can switch off less and less, we are denying our bodies vital recovery phases. We may not notice it immediately, but prolonged stress affects our overall health and well-being. But if we leave the screens behind for a moment and look at trees, bushes and meadows, they unfold their healing effects just within a few moments: we become calmer and the world turns more slowly.
Just calling it a day – it may sound banal, but that's exactly what we need sometimes. Our pulse and breathing become calmer and the stress hormones in our blood disappear. Our mind awakens, our mood brightens, we draw new strength.
So how about a counter-proposal to workation: we allow ourselves real downtime and consciously create space for relaxation and carefreeness. We even have a name for this model: holiday. There is no need to travel far and long, instead we could celebrate spontaneous day trips to the countryside or a walk through our neighbourhood as small (but real) breaks in between. All without obligations, to-dos and appointments. Particularly, without our laptop or headphones with colleagues in our ears.
