Tips for women executives to let their hair down and enjoy a truly relaxed holiday

Tips for women executives to let their hair down and enjoy a truly relaxed holiday
5-Feb-2010

Throughout the year most executives and business women work hard to juggle their career, businesses and family life successfully. Ensuring they meet deadlines, achieving their short, medium and long term goals is a priority to most working executives. However, whilst ensuring you meet the needs of your employer as well as achieving career success, it is important to prioritise time for yourself and your family.

You may believe that the office might crumble if you leave for a holiday, but the reality is that taking the leave you deserve is essential for your health and relationship building with your family and friends. In South Africa the festive season has traditionally been a time when families and friends get together take a break and enjoy themselves.

Hard working executives and business women should still take this time off to recharge and reconnect with their families and friends. Moreover the festive season is a perfect time to travel and explore our beautiful country, what with the great weather and lots of beautiful places to visit.

Time off allows your brain to relax and body and spirit to recharge, making sure you return to work energised and looking forward to a great year ahead. Spending time with your family strengthens family bonds and helps you focus better on your career. Change Partners, South Africa’s foremost executive coaching provider, agrees on the importance of taking time to recharge and relax in order to operate at your full potential. Jodi de Reuck psychologist, team facilitator and coach from Change Partners has some hot tips on how to fully enjoy your time off over the festive season.

Make a conscious decision that you need a holiday to reconnect with yourself and your family.

Plan your holiday in advance so that everyone in the family understands their role during your time off.

Explain to the children that this is also your holiday time. You need to tell them what you expect out of your holiday.

Delegate responsibilities to family members. Don’t try to do all the shopping, packing and cooking – you are on holiday after all!

Indulge in things you wouldn’t normally do while on holiday. Plan rituals on your holiday. Whether it is a glass of wine at a certain time of the day or taking a swim in the morning, you need to do an activity/ritual that you wouldn’t normally do to distinguish your work time and holiday time.

Make sure that even your dress code is relaxed, colourful and joyous to distinguish between the everyday dark suit you wear to those business meetings and your holiday time.

Plan activities with your children during your holiday time. This will make them feel loved and acknowledged and it is also a great time to catch up with your children.

Make time for your partner. Planned romance might not be as romantic as you think but planning a date night or having regular sex releases serotonin which makes one happier and feel even more relaxed.

Now take that leave - you deserve it!

Editor’s Note:

Jodi de Reuck is an experienced group and team coach Facilitator with Change Partners. Change Partners, South Africa’s foremost executive coaching provider, founded in 1998 and was the first practice in South Africa to focuses exclusively on leadership development of business leaders through customized executive coaching techniques. Our focus is exclusively senior business leaders, as we believe the foundation of the coaching programme is an effective, open dialogue between equals of seniority.