How To Have A More Productive And Inspiring Vacation

Close your eyes.

Imagine you’re on vacation.

Or if you’re on vacation, you can open your eyes.

Good feeling, isn’t it?

Vacation is something we all look forward to, dare I say, live for? Especially if you are in a less-than-ideal job, you probably live for the moments you can be out of the office doing what you want. If you’re one of those people who don’t take vacations, you should probably stop murdering small puppies (because that’ obviously what non-vacationers do).

The truth is, we all need vacations. As pastors, worship leaders, & creatives, we need a break from our routines to rest and be reenergized.

But what you do on vacation makes all the difference. At times I’ve felt the need for a vacation to recover from my vacation. Talk about depression.

That’s not right. If a vacation doesn’t serve the rest of our lives in some way, it’s just escapism with no purpose. Time poorly invested.

When we think of vacations it usually involves sleeping in, drinking tequilas on the beach, eating till our pants don’t fit, watching Lord of the Rings marathons, exploring like Indiana Jones, and not thinking about more than our next meal. If you’re a pastor, it’s possible the tequila isn’t a part of your dream vacation. Or maybe it is. Besides the point.

Having just returned from a fabulous vacation in Siesta Key, Florida (no, I didn’t drink Tequila in case you were already crafting your hate email) I want to challenge you to use your vacation time productively.

Here are four things you should do to have a more productive AND inspiring vacation.

1. Create Something

I would rather create than do nothing. To be honest with you, a vacation of nothing doesn’t sound appealing to me. I would rather create. I find joy in writing. I love to craft songs. I love to make music. So on your vacation, step away from some the routine tasks and relax, yes, but also catch a fresh perspective on your art. Yes, art is hard work, but most of the time it doesn’t “feel” like work because we love it.

What is it that you do? Do you move people with the written word, poetry, songwriting, paint, make music, etc? Find what it is and take time to create. Take time to be inspired.

2. Read Something

Vacation is the perfect time to read. Buy yourself a Kindle. Actually, don’t get too hung up on the device. I just think the Kindle is an incredible device for getting lost in reading. If you’re interested, here’s why you should get a Kindle too. Challenge yourself to finish a book or two that week. Read fast, take notes, underline, and get through it. You can always go back and re-read a book. Taking too long to read books fuels our resistance to finish. Don’t pressure yourself to grasp every insight…yet. Just read.

There’s something unique about our minds when we’re on vacation. We absorb differently. There’s less stress sucking our energy. Urgent tasks aren’t controlling our brains. I typically read the Bible, read a great book, and read blogs that I’ve pushed to Instapaper.

3. Dream Deeper

Another reason I love vacations is the reflection that happens between my wife and I. This year we worked through Michael Hyatt’s Life Plan ebook. We talked about our current life status, our ministry, where we wanted to be, what God was doing in and through us, what needs adjusted, what is going well, what we’re working towards. Contrary to what you may think, these conversations don’t happen everyday in our home.

During your vacation, take time to dream with your spouse or on your own. Dream deeper, seek God, write out your plans. These conversations are so healthy for a marriage. If you have no spouse, go find one. Kidding!

4. Unplug

While reading and creating are great, don’t check email on vacation. Set up email systems in advance so you can unplug from the swirl of communication you are used to. Clear your head. This is a perfect time to be proactive in your creating rather than reactive in your responding. Be a contributor rather than just a consumer.The world will continue if you don’t check your email.

In order for me to unplug, I scheduled blog posts and guest posts in advance, scheduled some tweets, and focused on relaxing.

I hope this was helpful for you. I know I’ve returned from vacations in the past more exhausted than when I came. That’s because I didn’t plan to be somewhat productive. I returned stressed out. By all means, take time to veg out and do nothing, but take time to create what you love. It doesn’t feel like work anyway, right?

Question: what do you like to do while you’re on vacation? You can leave a comment by clicking here.