Cat Paterson’s Post

Holiday means zero work, right? Not always. And that’s okay. I did a little work on my holiday. Not because I had to. Not because my boss expected it. But because I wanted to. No pressure. No stress. Just on my terms, when it suited me. Why? I love what I do. I care about my work I’ve been away for a while and wanted to check-in. It wasn’t a case of “I better log on, or people will think I’m slacking.” It wasn’t about proving anything. It was simply my choice. And working on holiday isn’t always a bad thing. It depends on why you’re doing it. If it’s because you feel pressured, that’s a problem. If it’s because your workplace expects it, that’s a red flag. But if it’s on your terms, when it works for you, with no guilt or stress? That’s different. Would I do it on a jam-packed sightseeing trip? Probably not. But this time, it worked for me. The key? Choice. Not pressure. Not expectation. Just what felt right. Not everyone will get it, and that’s okay. But I’m glad I did it. PS: Do you work during your holidays?

Sometimes, the return to work after a break doesn’t go as planned. In fact, it can bring unexpected challenges. For example, a customer who was fine with our two-week holiday break ended up canceling the partnership after yapping around 🤡. This experience taught us something important: Not everyone shares the same expectations, and clear communication is key, even when everything seems fine. This is a reminder that holidays are a time to rest and we prefer customers that share this mindset. Instead of letting this setback define our start to the year, we’re choosing to take it as an opportunity to work with someone who had great holidays is looking for a genuine partnership. The first days back are a perfect time to reconnect with clients and colleagues. For example, sending a quick check-in email to key partners can work wonders. A simple message like, “I hope you had a great holiday! Let’s start executing plans for the upcoming quarter,” shows that you value their time and are ready to re-engage. As much as you value their holidays, they should value yours and you can show your commitment the first day back. The first days may feel overwhelming, but you can start gaining pace slowly. Challenges will come, but how we respond makes all the difference. How are your first days back going? Have you faced any surprises or challenges? Let’s learn from each other!

You don’t need a Caribbean vacation to recharge. A single day can produce benefits, too. A lot of people feel exhausted when it comes to vacations—planning around personal commitments and school breaks, and deciding how to delegate major projects or put work on hold. But vacations don’t have to be a big time commitment to be significant to your health and happiness. Micro-vacations are times off that require you to use a day or less of vacation time. Because of their shorter duration, they typically require less effort to plan and don’t require you to coordinate the handing off of work. Plus, you can take them more often. If you’re looking to take micro-vacations, consider these options: Take a two- to three-day trip to someplace local. Or, take a day or afternoon off to finish those personal to-do items you’ve been postponing. Leave work for an hour or two to socialize with friends, or if taking the time is still an issue, work remotely in a serene location to give yourself the feel of a holiday while you’re still on task. https://lnkd.in/dnfyz-b2

Two week holidays, why you shouldn’t feel guilty for checking out! So over the last few days I’ve been running around trying to tie up all those loose ends at work and start packing for a vacation. All of this against the backdrop of my usual hectic family schedule. It got me thinking, why is taking a holiday so important? There is always that bit of guilt when preparing a handover for the colleagues who will have to pick up my work whilst I’m away enjoying myself and (hopefully) enjoying the sunshine! But here’s the important part: a two week holiday not only benefits me, but also the company I work for. Obviously, the chance to destress and grab some much needed time with my family goes without saying, and the benefits of having rested and happy colleagues are a must for all businesses. But is there something more important at play? The fact I will be “missing” for two weeks presents several important opportunities for the company I work for. The first is resilience, knowing that my role can be picked up by other colleagues gives the company confidence in my team’s abilities to cope without me should I leave or become incapacitated. Better still, it gives my colleagues confidence that they could manage it as well. The second benefit is huge for companies, especially those in the Financial Services Industry, a two week “fire-break” in an employees work life helps with fraud or corruption detection and prevention. A third benefit is having a fresh pair of eyes on tasks. Just because I do something in a particular way doesn’t mean it’s the best (or easiest) way to do it. The last time I took a vacation I was overjoyed when a colleague offered to share the way he had completed some of my tasks, he saved me an hour a week that I can now use for something else. I chose to ring fence that hour a week for reading, which helps with horizon scanning and my personal development. The key takeaway is this, book your holiday and loose the guilt, annual leave really is a win/win situation!

Workation ≠ Holidays Am I privileged? Hell yes! I can work from a different country and actually enjoy it. But just because I get to work from cool places doesn’t mean I’m on vacation. I work a lot - sometimes 10 to 12 hours a day. Do I wanna complain? No. BUT it’s definitely not a holiday. And honestly, it’s probably not for everyone. Getting yourself organized in an environment you don’t know? Not that easy. I’ve been doing this for the last six years - working from Brazil, the US, the UK, the Netherlands - and I love it. Still, let’s be clear: this ain’t lounging by the pool with a cocktail in hand. 💡 Thinking about trying a workation? Here’s what you should know: ✔️ Structure is key - Set working hours, or you’ll end up working all the time. ✔️ Test before you go all in - A two-week trial is smarter than booking a six-month stay. ✔️ Expect the unexpected - Bad WiFi, time zone struggles, or realizing the supermarket closes at 5 PM. ✔️ Know yourself - Can you focus in a new environment? Can you separate work from fun? If not, maybe rethink it. So yeah, call it a privilege. But don’t confuse it with a vacation. 😏

Over 200 million leaders will return to work tomorrow after a long holiday break. I've learned the hard way how to best prime myself and my team for the New Year. Day 78 of 365 Positive and Educational Posts. Holidays are amazing, but with a holiday comes the inevitable return to work. Over the last decade, I've clocked some important things to do for this pivotal moment. (especially after a global holiday break like Xmas) I've certainly fallen into the easy trap of thinking, 'Ugh, I have to go back to work and deal with X, Y, and X thing on Monday.' But this is one of the worst things we can do. Why? Because it primes our brain to look for all those horrible things, this predisposition leaks into the team you lead and your outlook on the situation. Seeing this happen firsthand is sad. So instead, put effort into these areas: - Focus on any exciting opportunities that are coming up (even if they are hard). - Be grateful (and write down) beautiful things from your holiday. - Find connection points and bonding moments with team members and give time for stories and post-holiday cheer. - Give yourself and your time some grace and space as everyone shakes the dust off and gets back into gear. These big holiday breaks can be amazing team rests, and by priming ourselves and focusing on the positives, we can leverage the opportunity. Happy Sunday Night!

Have you ever felt the post-holiday blues? 🏕 🏖 As many of us take summer holidays ☀ this time of year, returning to work after can always be daunting, even if you love where you work and enjoy your job! As you shift from relaxation to the demands of daily responsibilities, this often requires a period of adjustment. The initial days back can be particularly challenging, with a backlog of tasks, emails, and meetings waiting for your attention. However, this transition can be managed smoothly with a thoughtful approach, allowing you to re-enter the work environment with renewed energy and focus. ✏ Start by organising your tasks, prioritising urgent matters, and creating a clear to-do list to guide your day. Take some time to catch up on emails and updates but avoid getting overwhelmed. Focus on what's most important. Don’t stress about being behind. You will get back into the swing of things.  Discover the habits of top performing sales people to help you prepare for your first day back after a holiday -https://lnkd.in/eXQQx9CV Source: https://lnkd.in/eM7PuQkh  ❓What is the first thing you do when you get back to work after a holiday? Do you plan your return to work before your holiday ends, or do you prefer to dive in on your first day back? Share your thoughts below.  #work #returntowork #holiday #organising

It always felt like a mad rush. Trying to finish every single thing at work. As if the world would stop after I left for holiday. I’d get it done. The thought of a holiday giving me an extra spurt of productivity. But it came at a cost: - forgetting to take something after some last minute packing. - a stressful trip to the holiday place. - the first few days wasted while still in work mode. I bet this sounds familiar. I was focused on the wrong problem (or question); a key strategy fail. It wasn’t about how to finish everything at work before holiday. It was about how to start the holiday in great shape, ready and able to enjoy it to the full. That simple reframe has transformed how I finish up work and start a holiday. Now I: - put a hard deadline for stopping work, and it’s not midnight the day before leaving. - focus on what truly matters (by materiality and/or urgency) before I go. - am clearer about when I’m away and my availability. - spend more time on the ‘what’s next after the holiday’ list. - identify potential problems or frictions that could impede a smooth trip and solve them as best I can. It’s not perfect. My ŌURA tells me I still get more stressed while travelling even though i felt pretty relaxed. But it’s much better, both the start of the holiday and the work beforehand; in fact, I do some of my best work by focusing on doing a smaller set of activities with more depth. You see, strategy is a very personal endeavour. What helps you get to your holidays/vacation in great shape? #strategy #leadership #problems #reframing #vacations Photo: taken on the night before leaving, reasonably relaxed. Wrote this while my son was sleeping.

How fast did you forget your holidays? Now most people are back from summer holidays I hear a lot of people telling me (including myself) they lost their holiday energy. Back into full agenda's, overloaded by emails and a full backlog of deliverables for the upcoming months to finish before the end of the year. While being on holidays we feel connected to ourselves and nature. Which gives us the time to get overview, focus on the things which are really important to us and the energy to make decisions. We experience by doing less however by doing activities with higher value we recharge. When starting in the office again, we seem to change this nurturing habits and forget how to be connected with ourselves and nature. For me working from home gives me the opportunity to choose some moments to relax and go outside. Days going to office are more of a struggle. How do you keep the holiday energy through out the year?

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! It is wonderful to have the opportunity to have a long weekend and to spend it in a way that fills my heart. Enjoying time with family, a slower pace, and some extra time outside. ❤️ However, the work week ahead is a short one—only 4 days. I don't know about you but by the end of a short week, it can feel like it was a really long week. It's a long week because I try to cram 5 days worth of work and activities into 4 days. Short work weeks can be difficult to balance. Employers don't often consider them when deadlines are set, and employees rarely look far enough ahead to notice they have one less day to complete the expected work. The thing is that most of our holidays happen on the same day every year. Making note of this personally and professionally is essential to not getting overwhelmed. TIP: I have started a new habit. At the start of each quarter, I update my calendar for each statutory holiday. If the holiday is on Monday (like it is with Thanksgiving), I add an event to my calendar and start it on Friday afternoon and have it end on Monday night. I colour code the event and have it set as out of office. While this is a new habit for me, so far, I have found it effective, as the larger block of colour draws my attention to the short week; making it easier for the to plan around and not forget, and let it creep up on me. #HappyThanksgiving #grateful #thanksgiving #family