Prior to my retirement, a colleague was always my surrogate for any urgent/emergent issues when on vacation.
Nonetheless, the email barrage continued.
I struggled with the following: keep up with work emails when away, or just face hundreds once returning to the office.
Keeping up adversely affected family-time.
Deciding to not keep up also had an adverse effect…intrusive thoughts, that I tried to suppress, about the hours of work pending once returning to the office.
But fortunately, the intermittent feelings of gloom did not usually kick in until the second half of a vacation, only when the vacation was winding down.
Eventually, I compromised.
I would spend the hours needed to address and clear at home, to whatever degree possible, the night prior to returning to the office, or would go into my office the day prior (usually on a Sunday), when nobody else was there, if/when travel arrangements allowed for the same.
It never stopped the “thank God you’re back, you won’t believe what happened when you were away” comments from my staff on most every return, but I did enjoy my time away to a greater degree and always slept somewhat better the night before returning to the office.
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