At Coworking Gracia we think that disconnecting in summer is possible (believe it or not)

Summer is coming and with it the moment when you see how your family and friends begin to enjoy the summer holidays. At Coworking Gracia we experience it every year, as we have also experienced that anguished feeling that accompanies us, that constant doubt. Can I go on vacation? Should I completely unplug? Come on, we know well that impression of not daring to immerse yourself in relaxation and enjoy the holiday with an absolute disconnection.

“Self-employed syndrome”, “fear of self-employment”, “stress for self-employment”… many names have been given to an attitude that, always accompanied by a certain fear and some doses of guilt, prevents people who work on their own from enjoy the much deserved rest. And it is that when your email and your phone are with you 24/7, it is very difficult to forget about work.

But our body and our mind need to do it from time to time and “reset”. Not only for productivity issues -that too-, but because the daily chores end up affecting our health. That is why today we want to share with you some tricks that we carry out in our shared workspace in Gracia to disconnect (really) on vacation.

Advantages of vacation disconnection

There are studies that encrypt the days needed to “reset” the mind from the pit at ten or twelve. So we could enjoy the benefits of a good vacation both psychologically and physiologically.

Perhaps the most obvious virtue of interrupting our daily work every certain period is the reduction of stress and anxiety. But there are many more, such as the drop in blood pressure; the reduction of the risk of suffering a coronary illness; the improvement of our state of mind, the quality of sleep and mental health… Hence, there are not a few studies that relate vacations to life expectancy and its quality.

And it is that the times of rest enhance family and social relationships and this later affects our work activity. Thus, after resting, creativity and inspiration increase, which translates into greater and better productivity.

How to disconnect in summer

Here are some recommendations if you really want to “press the off” this summer.

• Forecast. Prepare a list with the tasks and activities that you absolutely must do before going on vacation and finish them. If you don’t do it, you will hardly forget about that job and you won’t be able to really rest. Or, as Saramago used to say, “what is not done is more tiring”.
• Coordination. Talk to your clients, let them know that you will not be available for several days and anticipate or postpone by mutual agreement the needs or requests that they will have in that period of time.
• Communication. Program your email and Whatsapp with a friendly automatic response message indicating your return date.
• Conviction. Above all, convince yourself that you deserve those vacations, that it’s okay to not check your mail for a week and that your clientele will be waiting for you when you return because you’ve warned them and you’ve been very professional in your work for a long time.

And don’t be afraid. To recharge batteries and increase your productivity, nothing like disconnecting for a few days. At Coworking Gracia we are waiting for you when you return. Happy summer break!