The point of a vacation, however long, is to help you destress. And sometimes that means doing something instead of lounging around doing nothing. If you have a pile of personal to-dos that are weighing you down, using a vacation day to get to those things you never seem to have time for can go a long ways for your well-being.
Are you in need of a haircut? Need to shop for new furniture? Does your car need an oil change? Has it been weeks since you’ve taken the dog to the dog park? Does your garden need tending? Or do you just want to sit down and finish that art project you’ve been too tired to work on after long days of work? Elizabeth Grace Saunders at Harvard Business Review recommends a micro-vacation dedicated to personal life productivity. Basically, take a day off and use it exclusively for any non-work tasks that are nagging at you. If you can’t afford to take a whole day off, maybe you can get away with taking an afternoon. Or use a day off that’s been given to you, like smaller holidays.
The key to this approach is that you do it in an un-rushed, stress-free manner. It’s not meant to be a day where you’re frantically running around town trying to get every single thing done; you’re merely giving yourself the time to take on a few of those items that are starting to distract you when you’re at work or when you’re trying to unwind in the evening at home. Take your time, treat yourself to a good coffee, listen to some of your favorite music, and casually work your way down your to-do list. Oh, and be sure to stop and do whatever fun thing catches your eye while you’re out and about. It is vacation, after all.
How to Get the Most Out of a Day Off | Harvard Business Review