Author Topic: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?  (Read 11949 times)

Gone Fishing

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I don't know what people are talking about when they say this!  I usually have what I refer to as a "vacation hangover" that can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.  All I think about is how great it was not to have to come into the office. 

This said, I am usually not to sad to see the actual vacation end.  After a trip, I look forward to sleeping in my own bed, cooking in my own kitchen etc. Post-Fire, I don't see myself traveling for more 3-4 weeks at a time. I'm pretty sure it's going back to work that induces the hangover.  So maybe they will go away.

 I guess the term "refreshed" is used as regular vacations probably help stave off some of the depression caused by monotony.

Frankies Girl

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2015, 12:14:51 PM »
I used to dread vacations a bit because of the hangover effect. We had to plan in at least two days of buffer time (come back from wherever 2 days before going back to work) so that we could get rested up enough to feel a bit better about dragging back into work. And I always missed my bed, my pillows, my kitchen... I thought that part was just me. ;)

I haven't taken any real vacations since I FIREd early this year, mostly due to the fact that the husband doesn't join me until next year. We'll have to see how traveling/vacationing feels then.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2015, 12:15:43 PM »
No.  But my vacations aren't usually designed to be refreshing, but rather enriching. Vacation is a busy busy time for me. It's not relaxing. I can relax at home on the weekends if I don't have to work.

And vacation usually means working overtime (unpaid- I'm exempt) to catch up on what I missed, so that isn't exactly something to be motivated about.

Gone Fishing

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2015, 12:17:16 PM »
No.  But my vacations aren't usually designed to be refreshing, but rather enriching. Vacation is a busy busy time for me. It's not relaxing. I can relax at home on the weekends if I don't have to work.

And vacation usually means working overtime (unpaid- I'm exempt) to catch up on what I missed, so that isn't exactly something to be motivated about.

Good points, my vacations and work situation are similar.

FatCat

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2015, 12:24:55 PM »
My vacations are usually spent trying to pack as many activities into the time off as possible. I come back to work exhausted. It also strengthens my desire to retire so that I can go back to the slow paced trips I used to take before I started working.

Zikoris

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2015, 12:27:27 PM »
Nope. It makes me want to retire and spend months exploring places. Luckily, the shorter trips I'm able to do now do seem to "scratch the itch" travel-wise for a few months.

iamlittlehedgehog

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2015, 12:28:57 PM »
I usually feel pretty refreshed and uplifted. But DH and I make sure our vacations are restful, we avoid crowed cities, crazy travel, and populated places. Usually out of cell phone reception where we are forced to return to our natural patterns for a few days.

But I have opposite of iowajes's problem - my weekends are full working between working another job, school, and house projects. Honestly an enriching vacation would probably stress me out even more ;)

Hank Sinatra

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2015, 12:32:26 PM »
I used to dread vacations a bit because of the hangover effect. We had to plan in at least two days of buffer time (come back from wherever 2 days before going back to work) so that we could get rested up enough to feel a bit better about dragging back into work. And I always missed my bed, my pillows, my kitchen... I thought that part was just me. ;)

I haven't taken any real vacations since I FIREd early this year, mostly due to the fact that the husband doesn't join me until next year. We'll have to see how traveling/vacationing feels then.

Yes, I'd always come back from vacation two days early so I could relax and normalize myself mentally before going back to work. Even now that I don't have to work, whenever a trip is necessary the first 2 days back are "relaxing" days. Other than maybe laundry I don't have anything scheduled

Mississippi Mudstache

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2015, 12:34:21 PM »
God no. I come back from vacations frustrated that I had to come back from vacation. It always takes me a week, sometimes more, to catch my stride again.

Mr. Green

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2015, 01:01:42 PM »
I have vacation hangover as well, though I consider it an extension of my general disdain for my job. Hell I took 6 days off a couple weeks ago and spent 75% of the time doing hard physical labor at home. The time off felt as liberating as a vacation for me and I still came back to work having no desire whatsoever to do my job.

mm1970

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2015, 01:13:48 PM »
No.  But my vacations aren't usually designed to be refreshing, but rather enriching. Vacation is a busy busy time for me. It's not relaxing. I can relax at home on the weekends if I don't have to work.

And vacation usually means working overtime (unpaid- I'm exempt) to catch up on what I missed, so that isn't exactly something to be motivated about.

Good points, my vacations and work situation are similar.
Mine are too, but I don't work much unpaid overtime.  Or to be specific, I have two kids, so it's hard for me to carve out more time for work, really.

It's not uncommon for me to have a 43 hour work week (so 3 free hours) but that's only because I'd skip my lunch break a few days.  I have a hard stop on each end of the day.  In the morning, I cannot leave for work until my husband gets home from the gym, so earliest I get to work is 7:30 (and that's not every day).  At the end of the day, I have to leave by 4:30 at the latest to get the kids before the "drop dead" time. 

However, with kid stuff (dr and dentist appts, 4 pm baseball practice), school stuff (PTA projects, assemblies, field trips), home requirements (picking up our vegetables at the CSA, car repairs, home repairs), I almost never ever have two weeks in a row like that.  Or, more specifically, I have to take enough time off on some days that I rarely have 80 hours in a 2 week work period.  Maybe only hit that 5 pay periods in the last 26.  (So I take PTO for the missing hours).

I generally don't have vacation hangover.  We try to be "chill" with the kids.  Two weeks to visit family, so not terribly busy.  Or maybe a week at a National Park, staying in a condo, where we relax, hang out, sightsee, hike, whatever.  I do like to have a day at home before going back to work to grocery shop, cook, unpack, do laundry.

I do often have a hard time getting started again, because I don't remember what I was working on when I left.  But luckily, nobody works on my stuff (unluckily?) so it's right where I left it.

cliffhanger

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2015, 01:14:59 PM »
No way! Just got back from a 16 day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. I felt more refreshed and worked harder rowing and hiking all day.

TravelJunkyQC

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2015, 01:18:48 PM »
My vacations are always a mix of adventure and relaxation, and I come home utterly depressed with what awaits me. FIRE can't come soon enough. My desk is so much less exciting than surfing in Costa Rica, or working on a Roman archaeological dig.
It's been two weeks since I got back from Costa Rica and I'm still vacation-hungover... and will stay this way until the next trip!

Gone Fishing

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #13 on: September 17, 2015, 01:28:59 PM »
Beginning to think the "refreshed" line is just management mumbo-jumbo!

Static Void

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2015, 01:31:43 PM »
I'll be in the minority, and say, Yes, work is more tolerable and even engaging after a vacation.

(I should say, was, I'm off the clock nowadays.)

But I'm a nest-er. If I'm away from my home and projects and stuff for more than a week or ten days, I start getting antsy to come home. On recent Post-FIRE 3 week tent camping road trip, I would have lost it entirely if I hadn't had a couple of Wi-fi desk day breaks. I can heartily recommend the air conditioned Moab public library, for sneaking in a day of coding on your indie game during "vacation"!

But yes, coming back to the office after a break, look at my colleagues and ask, "What do we do here, exactly, again?" And the answer is actually interesting. For a while. :)


Cookie78

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #15 on: September 17, 2015, 01:40:09 PM »
No way. Occasionally I'm ready to come home and sleep in my own bed, or to see my friends, but I'm always exhausted and disoriented the first day back to work. I just usually wish I could have stayed away for longer.

Eric

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #16 on: September 17, 2015, 01:49:41 PM »
I get a vacation hangover too.  I guess we should all stop drinking so much.

AZDude

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #17 on: September 17, 2015, 02:14:01 PM »
Depends on how long the vacation is. If its a long weekend, I have vacation hangover. The few times I took a longer vacation, I did come back refreshed and better able to tackle my job. I would put the barrier at about two weeks.

GatewayTwo

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #18 on: September 17, 2015, 02:20:58 PM »
From two weeks to two days, vacation usually just reminds me of what I'd rather be doing (than sitting at a desk).

Our last trip was 2 weeks.  Kids had trouble sleeping, were overtired, etc.  My wife was frazzled by it, and said "Are you even having fun????"

I had to say yes, because even with exhausted 5-year olds, I was not at WORK.  (She however, is home with the kids, so it felt to her like a more exhausting version of normal).

TL:DR;  It's all relative.

Can't Wait

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #19 on: September 17, 2015, 03:10:54 PM »
I'm actually on vacation now. I typically come back from vacations utterly depressed and sad that it's over. Kinda like my dog just died or something like that.

Sometimes I'm excited to get back from vacation to start working out more or to eat healthier or to just start something anew. But more often than not, I come back completely depressed that it's over and sad that I have to return to work and pretend to be excited or concerned about some stupid nonsense that is occurring at my stupid nonsensical job.

The whole week leading up to my vacation is like the most exciting time ever, but when it's over...man, its the worst. I start to think about how stupid the rat race is and how much of our youth we spend wasting away at a desk doing stupid things. Most people I work with spend more time pretending that they are more important than they really are.

I just wanted to add that I'm currently posting from one of the most beautiful places on Earth and I'm surrounded by elderly folks too old to fully experience this place to its fullest. That makes me even more sad. There are a couple of younger folks here, but we are few and far between.

Life's a beach..I wish that were true.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2015, 03:18:04 PM by GovtWorker »

Schaefer Light

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #20 on: September 18, 2015, 11:36:12 AM »
I'm actually on vacation now. I typically come back from vacations utterly depressed and sad that it's over. Kinda like my dog just died or something like that.

Sometimes I'm excited to get back from vacation to start working out more or to eat healthier or to just start something anew. But more often than not, I come back completely depressed that it's over and sad that I have to return to work and pretend to be excited or concerned about some stupid nonsense that is occurring at my stupid nonsensical job.

The whole week leading up to my vacation is like the most exciting time ever, but when it's over...man, its the worst. I start to think about how stupid the rat race is and how much of our youth we spend wasting away at a desk doing stupid things. Most people I work with spend more time pretending that they are more important than they really are.
This is pretty much how I feel.  It's not as bad as my dog dying, but it really sucks going back to the office after a vacation.  I generally don't give a shit about work for several days after a vacation.  Maybe this is different for people who love what they do.  At any rate, I tend to start thinking about my next vacation when I get back in the office.  It's a coping mechanism.

Kaspian

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #21 on: September 18, 2015, 12:08:30 PM »
My vacations are usually spent trying to pack as many activities into the time off as possible. I come back to work exhausted. It also strengthens my desire to retire so that I can go back to the slow paced trips I used to take before I started working.

I do this too, so last year I usurped myself and booked a vacation on at a small Cuba beach resort in the middle of buttfuck nowhere.  Seriously--an hour from the closest tiny town and two and a half from the airport.  No public transportation in the area, no decent Internet connection, and there was only 23 people staying there.  It was completely isolated.  All I could book was one little half-day trip to a nearby organic farm and a snorkel tour just off the place's beach.  ...By day two I thought I was going to go insane. By day seven I was happy as squirrel in a Snickers factory, zen, empty brain, enjoying the lazy days of doing nothing but soak sun, read, drink rum & coke, drink mojitos, swim, have a few meals.  I was super-happy!!

...And going back to work still sucked.

MsPeacock

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #22 on: September 18, 2015, 05:25:58 PM »
I get a vacation hangover too unless I allow 1-2 days home for buffer time. Then I am merely grumpy about my return. It does help if the vacation was relaxing (laying on a beach) rather than activity oriented (going to see a bunch of stuff, overseas travel w/ my kids, etc.). I also can't bounce back from jet lag like I could 20 years ago. I don't adapt well at either end of the trip and can't just "push through it" anymore.


firewalker

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #23 on: September 18, 2015, 06:16:07 PM »
The all day "tail wagging the dog" nature of the job means that, after the finish of the first day back, I feel like I never went on vacation. Even after a full two weeks away. Need a new job.

Spork

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #24 on: September 18, 2015, 06:22:40 PM »
I always had 2 kinds of vacations:

a) Traditional:  We went somewhere.  We indulged in local food/drink culture.  It was always fun, but I longed for home base.  I longed for my own space/bed.  I longed for silly dogs/cats I shared my space with.  I wanted to be back home when I got there.  AND I DREADED GOING BACK TO WORK.

b) Working: I very often took a week or more off to burn vacation time and do a project.  I didn't go anywhere.  I just built a fence.  Or laid a floor.  Or painted the house.  Or something.  I had a deep satisfaction of doing something.  I had no longing for home.   AND I DREADED GOING BACK TO WORK.

So, no.  I never was refreshed and ready to work harder than before.   I'm 2.5 months into FIRE now.  Every day is a vacation. 

Daisy

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #25 on: September 18, 2015, 11:32:34 PM »
I return from a long vacation refreshed, and give myself a few days back at work to "catch up on emails". It's the perfect excuse to blow some silly requests off at work.

But then after a few days everything goes back to normal and I start planning my next vacation. So no, it doesn't make me "ready to work harder".

But too much time in between vacations makes my productivity go low. So then I try to do some mini 1 or 2 day staycations to even out the vacation drought period. Thank goodness I get 6 weeks of paid time off. I use every single day of it.

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #26 on: September 19, 2015, 07:52:40 AM »
Vacations allow me to think clearly and remember what it's like to be myself. They allow me to see how mired in the drudgery I had become. So vacations, be they active or lazy, definitely refresh me. But they make it so hard to go back to work. After vacation, it takes at least a week, but sometimes much longer, for me to once again feel comfortable in the work shackles. My last return was so shockingly difficult that I decided it was time to move on to different work.

pbkmaine

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #27 on: September 19, 2015, 08:25:43 AM »
When I was working, I always had a great time until the day before returning to work. That day was miserable. Once back to work I was fine. I was fortunate - my last 11 years of work were mostly enjoyable.

Albert

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #28 on: September 19, 2015, 03:11:11 PM »
Not really, but then again I'm kind of a steady guy who works more or less equally hard (or not depending from your perspective) in any particular week plus I like my job. During my vacations I either travel or someone else travels to visit me. If it's the former I start to miss my own place after about 2 weeks or so...

One Noisy Cat

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #29 on: September 19, 2015, 04:49:23 PM »
    Back when I was a working stiff, I felt the first day or two after I returned from vacation went by pretty quickly. Then it was back to the same long grind. I'm not sure but I don't think I ever had a vacation longer than a week. Well, I did have 30 days off once in the military but that was because coming off isolated duty, I had to use the 30 days compensatory leave before reporting to my next duty station.

SondraF

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #30 on: September 20, 2015, 01:42:16 PM »
For various reasons we just split our most recent vacation time into two - one week at my parents and one week at my partner's parents, three weeks later.  We head to his next Saturday and I swear I'm in the week-before doldrums - just waiting for the work week to hurry up and pass so I can be released from the sheer stupidity for a week!  This three weeks has been not a lot of fun at all, and I think its only confirmed to both of us how much we want to get our financial house in order and investments moving in order to step away from all of this for good.

NearlyThere

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #31 on: September 20, 2015, 01:45:22 PM »
I don't know what people are talking about when they say this!  I usually have what I refer to as a "vacation hangover" that can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.  All I think about is how great it was not to have to come into the office. 

Gosh I'm the opposite. By day 8 or 9 of a two week holiday I'm full of ideas and ready to take on the world. I don't dread work at all

Rural

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #32 on: September 20, 2015, 02:06:32 PM »
I've had one vacation in the last six years, and while it was marvelous, its ending was the cause of much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

MMMdude

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #33 on: September 20, 2015, 02:30:13 PM »
I don't feel refreshed at all.  Usually am coming back the night before work so tired from the travel.  Then when I get back to work, within 5 minutes my multiple bosses will ask how it went.  I reply with a curt "it was way too short".  Then they tell me what all i missed work wise and what i need to do.  I know they don't give a damn about my vacation so why should I tell them anything beyond that it was short?  The quicker i make that conversation, the quicker i get to go home that day.  At this point in my life I'm all about less work, more play and pissed at anything that stands in the way of that

FLA

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #34 on: September 20, 2015, 02:35:29 PM »
never did, although one thing helped, taking an extra day when the kids were back in school, would be with their dad that night so I chilled the whole day. 

That day was usually a Monday, the busiest day at work, so maybe not a nice move from my job's perspective, I really didn't care, I had the time, they approved it so, done.

pdxvandal

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #35 on: September 20, 2015, 03:58:17 PM »
Coming back from vacation is depressing as hell for me. I almost cried on the plane-ride back to Hawaii one time. I love taking any vacation because it's not work, but rarely feel refreshed.

I haven't taken more than a week's vacation in about 8 years. Most of mine seem to be 1-3 business days long nowadays. I once took 3 weeks to Europe but that was well before having a kid. I'm just trying to achieve FIRE as fast as possible so I don't have to worry how long any of my vacays are.



FLA

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #36 on: September 20, 2015, 07:00:12 PM »

I haven't taken more than a week's vacation in about 8 years. Most of mine seem to be 1-3 business days long nowadays. I once took 3 weeks to Europe but that was well before having a kid. I'm just trying to achieve FIRE as fast as possible so I don't have to worry how long any of my vacays are.

Do you lose your paid leave if you don't take it? 

Our holiday, sick, vacation is just one bank, like we may be closed on a holiday, but if you want to be paid for it, it comes out of your leave bank.  If you don't use most of it (some can be rolled into next year), you can take it in check but then I heard tons of taxes are taken out of one large check.  People complained about the system, but by 23 years, I had somewhere between 9-11 weeks of time yearly. Not wanting to take it in one large check if I would "lose" money (I was not clear on the tax thing), I found I had to take a week or longer off each quarter, the 6 holidays, and then sick leave, to get down to what I could roll over. 

the one thing I wish we had was the ability to keep accumulating and then use that towards health insurance when you retire like the State workers get. 

ArcadeStache

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Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #37 on: September 20, 2015, 07:05:35 PM »
I always need an extra day to recover before going back to work, and no, it usually does not refresh me, usually because we just go visit family in the summer. I'm not really a vacation kind of guy anymore because of the costs and now with a kid, the hassle of trying to go anywhere and do anything. Maybe I'll loosen up when he's older, but for now, I'm fine with just hanging around the local area when the weather is nice and doing stuff outdoors, hanging around the house to work on hobbies, etc. above all, I just crave peace and quiet, which is hard to come by living in the DC area and having a shitty commute and a child in the terrible twos. My dream vacay would be to go somewhere scenic where I can spend time outdoors, have a room with a comfy bed to catch up on sleep, and plenty of time to do nothing....just look at the clouds, read a book, listen to music and not be interrupted every 5 minutes for a cookie or to put on the same Dora the Explorer episode for the 10th time.

Yeah, it's been one of those days.
« Last Edit: September 20, 2015, 07:07:38 PM by ArcadeStache »

Merrie

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #38 on: September 20, 2015, 07:16:23 PM »
Vacation (or a staycation, as the case may be) lets me think about something other than work for a while, and that's nice. I go back a little more refreshed. But I think I need longer vacations to really get a good break from all my negative feelings about my job and get to the point where I can develop more of a positive attitude. My 3 month maternity leave was great for that!

alleykat

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #39 on: September 21, 2015, 11:29:48 AM »
I really like my time off because it breaks the routine but I don't go back refreshed like I would like. It is catch up time and the grind starts.  I go back and think how nice it would be to be retired and do I really need to deal with this stuff. I appreciate and am grateful for my job but sometimes I want to be able to do what I like with my day.

HazelStone

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #40 on: September 21, 2015, 01:16:47 PM »
Just got back from ten days away. I went to a family reunion, then hung out with my parents for a few days, who live near the beach. I was happy to be hanging out with my family and got to run around some beautiful places, but the vacation effect was cut short. The township sent us a nasty-gram over the height of our lawn (we'd been away three weekends in a row). The fines climb quickly and the letter was worded rather ambiguously. It sent Sweetie into a panic attack and when we got back from our 600 mile+ trip we immediately started on the yard work.

This sent up massive allergens and today I am miserable with coughing and sneezing. I don't have much of a backlog on my work, but there was no chance to relax before going to work. Bleh. I did need the change of scene, though, and it helped. I work at a place where we have the government holidays off, though; a couple of extra 3 day weekends or a midweek day off helps. We're able to get things done and have more weekend at our disposal.

CryingInThePool

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #41 on: September 21, 2015, 03:12:21 PM »
No; but I have found career clarity on vacation. Or rather Yes; but only working hard at getting a new job. That’s the origin story of my screen name.  Was so stressed out on vacation and thinking about going back to the office that I was crying in the swimming pool.

I came back from vacation determined that I was never going to have another vacation like that again.  That even if I wasn’t ready for FIRE something was going to change because that wasn’t a normal or acceptable behavioral response to the thought of returning to work.   It was a sign that my whole life was broken.

So I came back miserable but determined.  I immediately took a job on a different team and cut back to 10 hour days.   I’m way happier on my new team in terms of both projects and life balance - often wonder where I’d be if I hadn’t had such a miserable vacation. 

h82goslw

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #42 on: September 22, 2015, 07:41:33 AM »
Went to Vegas last month with my wife and 2 other couples.   13 total hours of sleep over 4 days....after returning I needed about 3 days before I was back to normal.  Next year we're planning on making it a 5 day trip.  Always feel the need to make the most of every moment when I'm on vacation.  Fortunately for me I love my job so I'm  usually excited about going back to work after vacation. 

asauer

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #43 on: September 22, 2015, 07:49:36 AM »
Nope.  I do enjoy travelling and only need to be home for 2-3 days before I'm ready to go again.  However, I have kids.  NOTHING away from home is relaxing with small children.  At least at work I get to sit down. 

Also, I have to work twice as hard for the week before and the week after vacation in order to make room to be gone.  Not that what I do is terribly important, but there are a lot of needy, demanding people who are pissed if they can't get a hold of me for some reason.  I basically end up running myself into the ground before and after which pretty much negates the effect of vacation.  Can't wait for RE when I don't have to worry about that crap.

BrandonP

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #44 on: September 24, 2015, 01:47:01 PM »
Depends on the vacation.

But mostly no because I'm jet lagged!

ReadyToStash

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #45 on: September 24, 2015, 07:47:58 PM »
Lately I've been cramming vacations to span the entirety of the time I have off, so no rest or buffer days between. I get vacation hangover really, really badly. Work is a burden on my psyche; the more I'm out of the office the happier I am.

Daisy

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Re: Do you return from vacation refreshed and ready to work harder than before?
« Reply #46 on: September 24, 2015, 08:34:49 PM »
I think the main thing for me is that without vacation time, I get cranky and my productivity goes down. Going on vacation just resets me back to normal productivity. So it does get me to work harder than before I left on vacation, but only because my productivity went down before vacation. I do remain cranky though, with or without vacation...but that's because of the cranky-inducing things that happen at work. ;-)
« Last Edit: September 24, 2015, 08:37:13 PM by Daisy »