Guilty of these holiday habits? You might not be switching off after all

We’re coming to that stage of the year when you can almost smell the Christmas holidays coming up. You can now count on less than two hands the number of working weeks left until it’s time to take a deep breath.

How you spend your holidays says a lot about you, as here’s a strong correlation between your working style in the office and that outside it.

The majority of us share one thing in common, however. A Harris Poll for employment software Dayforce last year found that 60 per cent of employees do not fully disconnect from work while on our summer holidays.

But we do all take time off in different ways, and there are four main types of workers on holidays:

The Goal-Getter

“Work hard, play hard” is the motto for this workaholic personality, who prides themselves on their 24/7 activity during their time at work, and continue this frenetic pace on their breaks.

When you crawl over the finish line and begin your next holiday, which personality type are you closest to?

The aim of their holiday is to fit in as much as possible, which includes a list of things-to-do that’s just as long as the one on their desk when they return.

Not every holiday needs to be about achieving your goals or walking 30,000 steps every day to see every sight. If this is you, schedule some downtime into your packed vacation, or your body will eventually make you slow down against your iron will.

The Flop and Drop

Life is a tale of two halves for this personality, working right until the flight takes off, firing off emails from the airport. But the second the cabin crew announces “arm doors and cross-check”, their brain switches off automatically.

When they arrive, they don’t want to do anything except flop and drop. No choices, no sightseeing, no emails, no worries.

Just them, a sun lounger and a good book to take their mind off things. They know the hardest decision they’ll make is if 11am really is too early for their first Piña Colada.

If this sounds familiar, think about the effect such a swing between two polar opposites has. Yes, it’s good to fully relax on holidays, but perhaps if you didn’t grind it out so hard during working weeks you wouldn’t have to recharge your battery from flat every time.

The Pre-Planner

Most of us tend to approach tasks either methodically or spontaneously. The methodical personality structures every minute of their holiday just as they organise their daily lives.

Every small detail is pre-planned and arranged before they leave home, from lunch on the sixth day, to what type of massage they’d like to have.

I understand the need to feel in control, but if there’s one place you should allow unexpected experiences to occur, it’s when you’re on holidays. Give yourself a break from the organisation, even just a little, and enjoy seeing what plans can arise when you have no plans.

The Wanderer

This is the colleague who doesn’t believe in doing anything in advance. They turn up to the office and get pulled in whatever direction is most urgent: putting out fires, attending meetings or gossiping in the kitchen.

They take this attitude into their holidays, rarely booking anything before arrival. Instead, they wander the streets and see where it takes them.

They’re the most likely to get enticed into a tourist trap restaurant that looks appealing from the street but serves terrible food (and can be avoided with a cursory glance at TripAdvisor). But they don’t care, they’re happy to go with the flow and see where they end up.

So, when you crawl over the finish line and begin your next holiday, which personality type are you closest to? Are you the Goal Getter, The Flop Dropper, The-Pre Planner or The Wanderer?

Whether you’re structured or spontaneous, flat-out or freewheeling, how you holiday mirrors how you work. And if you want different results from your time off, take your break in a new way and see what you can discover about yourself in the process.

Tim Duggan is author of Work Backwards: The Revolutionary Method to Work Smarter and Live Better. He writes a regular newsletter at timduggan.substack.com

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