A lot of people use vacations to escape from real life. They stay up late, sleep until noon and soak their body up in alcohol. The problem is your vacation lasts a week or two, and eventually you have to report back to real life.

Why not use this time to get better, faster, stronger? I understand that vacations should be used to unwind and get away from the daily grind. Your body needs to occasionally recharge, and if you don’t take a break, you won’t come back to work better than you left. 

However, vacations provide you time to dig deep into your mental state and to rediscover your “Why”, as Simon Sinek might suggest. It’s a great time for a fresh start. 

Here are 4 ways to invest your vacation time wisely so you come back recharged and stronger than ever. 

Test out a new exercise habit

You could start each day with 25 push-ups and a light 20-minute jog or bike ride. Usually the biggest objection to exercising is “I don’t have enough time”. That’s not usually a problem when you’re on vacation. 

Eat healthier

Just like exercise, lack of time to shop for healthy food is a huge objection here. It also costs more to eat healthier, but people are throwing money around anyway while on vacation. Try to eat some more veggies and protein and see if it sticks. If it doesn’t stick, at least you’re a little healthier when you return. 

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Read a sales or business book

Once again, most people don’t read books because they can’t find the time. Use your vacation time to educate yourself so you are mentally stronger when you return. 

Think big picture

Most people like to completely shut off all thoughts and activities that are about work while on vacation. That’s fine, but this is a great time to dream about big picture ideas for work. Maybe a big problem your company or sales team is battling with. This big picture thinking time is a great companion with reading the sales book discussed earlier. Maybe you’ll have a light bulb moment and solve a problem for your team. All you need is ONE good idea!

How do you spend your free time on vacation?

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Brad Telker
Vice President, Applied Systems Group at cfm Distributors, Inc.
