By Sunny Nagpal
MD, Httpool India
It takes a little “work while vacation” attitude to enjoy the time off. I chose my profession. I chose to quit a job to start my own firm. And my designation bestowed upon me responsibilities that make me work not by clock, but all 365 days.
But, this cannot stop me from doing one thing I have always enjoyed - travelling! I am an avid traveller. I get rejuvenated seeing new places, driving around using Google maps and reaching a destination that was not planned, experiencing cultures, trying cuisines and delights that were never heard of... what could be better?
But with work playing on my mind, this can’t be better than finishing the job at hand. In August last year, I had to travel to Berlin, Germany for our Annual General Meeting. I took this as an opportunity to vacation with my wife in Greece for a full 15 days! I tasted the sweet nectar of working by the clock and taking a vacation without my iPhone or Mac!
By choice, I have turned the table. My role in the organization does not allow me to cut off from work. I have to devote myself to pending issues; and a vacation alongside it may sound unbelievable to you, but technology and clever planning has always helped me enjoy what I enjoy the most.
But it is simple and all you need to do is “manage” and “plan” well. When on vacation, I do prioritize my work and time. It takes not more than an hour in the morning to list the day’s musts and another hour to sum it up, all before heading for breakfast. But “planning” should begin well before you end up on a secluded island…
Ensure that nothing major is coming up during the vacation span before booking the tickets because this could be the stumbling block. Try to include as many weekends, public holidays as you can. It helps to get more of less demanding days. I have always stayed in the best of hotels, but never shied away from the basic B&B accommodation, the reason being that all hotels today have Internet facility. In your room or the common lobby, free or paid, you will never miss it. The most you would have to do is stay in “that” corner for sometime.
The widespread availability of technology is a blessing. I was in Mykonos, a Greek island for five days; the beaches were organized with sunbeds and restaurants and they also had a cyber zone! Expensive at about a Euro for 30 mins, but then so was a Long Island Tea!
Technology did help me enjoy my holiday. I went snorkeling for an hour and got back to a quick grab of mails too. I was never away from an emergency e-mail or a quick Skype call. Leave alone clients and reports, I could seamlessly manage the company financial transactions through online banking!
But then, like everything else, technology has its limitations too, especially when you cannot work (read: don’t want to work!). There definitely are days at work when you are in a day-long meeting/conference and cannot attend to calls or reply to emails. I did take a day-long cruise to an isolated island where I trekked to see the volcano in Santorini, Greece. You never miss those things on a holiday!
My first advice to all working professionals who don’t want to return to truckloads of work is: Do not shut down work. Smartly manage the daily job at hand. Secondly, invest in a smart mobile phone or a tablet. Bring back fun-filled memories from your holiday and not fears of extra hours at work.
Feedback: sunny@httpool.in
