If you’ve ever gone on vacation, and told yourself that you could never disconnect fully from work or life, then maybe this post can be helpful, as I used to be like that.

For context, I work in the Digital Marketing and Ecommerce space in the Retail industry. Always-on type of work – after all we have English and French transactional websites we need to run. It’s very rare for me to completely shut off, be it nights, weekends, or on vacation.

So here’s some potentially helpful advice.

Give Yourself Approval To Disconnect

I went on vacation with family in the middle of March. Usually while I’m on vacation, I’ll check my emails every hour, check Google Analytics regularly to see where sales and traffic are at, and I’ll usually even bring my laptop “just in case.”

Maybe being a Dad changes things, or maybe it’s because little Luca, my 19-month old, is a bundle of energy and is always in play mode, but whatever it was, this vacation felt different. I didn’t bring my laptop. Once I got onto the flight to Mexico for a 7-day sojourn and responded to my last email just before the plane took off, I felt a sense of calm and relaxation, one I wanted to maintain for the next 7 days. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, the people I work with, and the industry I work in. But every now and then, the mind, body, and soul need some rest and calmness, along with a few manly strawberry daiquiris (double vodka of course). 

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