Auto Reply: OOO enjoying sabbatical and finding my inner child

I’ve just embarked on my first-ever sabbatical — four long weeks without email, phone calls, meetings or clients. Dreamy? Yes. But, honestly, I panicked at the thought.

If your work life is anything like mine, it might resemble the nonstop blinking billboards and passersby of Times Square — e.g. a world of constant connectivity and stimuli that can be difficult to withdraw from. But too much of it can lead to exhaustion and actually be counterproductive to the end results.

You probably want to produce work that’s more like a quality Broadway show — and less like a selfie with a cartoon character. Taking a break from the madness is key to attaining that quality — but most people don’t do that at work. Only 23% of employees take all their allotted time off, according to a survey by recruiting site Glassdoor. And of those who do take a vacation, two-thirds say they work while they’re out of office.

But, time away from work has been proven to reduce stress, improve relationships, and improve your health and creativity. So why don’t we take time to recharge? Fear or feelings of guilt tend to crop up: “I feel bad,” “My team needs me(aka I need my team.)” or “I worry about falling behind” are common workforce narratives. And, as Jason Fried, founder of web application company Basecamp wrote in his book, Rework: Change the way we work forever: “When you’re tired, it always seems easier to plow down whatever bad path you happen to be on instead of reconsidering the route.”

Personally, I love the constant excitement of my gig, so taking a sabbatical means taking a break from something I enjoy. A month out is like dog years in digital, and I know I will come back to a slew of changes. I’ll definitely have #FOMO.

Working nonstop isn’t working smart

The tradeoff? Spending time with the people I love the most. That’s pretty unequivocal. Ask my wife and she’ll tell you my work ethic is who I am… she’ll also tell you this will be the first time I’m not fully engaged in work in the history of our relationship--that’s over 20 years. We’ll be celebrating by unwinding together, relaxing and taking our kids on a new experience to Alaska.

New experiences have a way of surprising and unlocking our brains so we can return from vacation feeling creative and re-energized with the ability to harness greater clarity. A goal is to disconnect from work and the day-to-day to reconnect with everything else. That’s one of my aims, although I do have my limits, as my out of office message reads — I will be checking email from time to time.

Sometimes, you can’t just leave it up to individual employees to take the time they need. (Remember that 23%?) It’s important for employees to be able to take time off without feeling guilt or anxiety about being disconnected — that’s the point of a break right?

That’s where a line like “it’s company policy” can come in handy. Financial services firm The Motley Fool has a novel approach. Each month, one employee’s name is drawn out of a hat--and that person must take a spontaneous vacation as soon as feasible, with no company contact whatsoever for two whole weeks. And, they get some cash to spend toward the trip.

I’m grateful that my company truly values taking a step back. For 16 years, PwC has enacted a firm-wide shutdown during the week of Christmas. This year, it did the same for the Fourth of July. And with everyone out of the office at once, there’s no room for any anxiety over taking a break.

I’m looking forward to going...

As well as looking forward to how I will feel when I return. I know this will help me achieve my goals to be a better parent and leader.

Have you ever taken a sabbatical — or do you plan to? What did it mean to you, your work and your interests outside the office? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Follow me @dlclarke