How to take a real break when you're expected to be online
The temptation to stay partially ‘on’ during any time off can be strong, particularly when critical responsibilities to clients don’t pause when the calendar says holiday, and when you don’t share the responsibility with anyone else. But here is the truth – everyone needs proper time off, especially if things have been really stressful recently. Of course, there are times when the organisation still needs someone keeping an eye on things. If stepping away entirely isn’t possible, there are still ways to protect your time and headspace.
You could create an email filter
One useful tactic is to filter or divert key responsibility emails (e.g. anything with ‘admissions’, ‘client’, or another relevant keyword) into a dedicated inbox. This allows you to have a quick, focused check-in, without getting sucked into everything else. Most email clients can automate this, and filters now are much more clever than they used to be.
Or find a buddy
Another option is pairing up with a trusted colleague – you could look after their inbox, and they return the favour when you’re off. Set some ground rules, like asking them to only flag if/when something is urgent and filing other emails so they can’t be seen. If the volume of responses allows, you could even do this via WhatsApp.
Or create mini-breaks
If you can’t face being offline the whole time, you carve out a non-negotiable 4 days? You could follow this with a day of checking, and another 4 days? You could put someone else’s details on the out of office in case there’s an urgent question. But this would give you some proper time off and allow you to wind down.
But make sure you know there’s a reason for a proper break…
There’s a meaningful reason why a break is important after a period of stress. In order for us to recover, we need proper downtime. We can’t recover from a marathon with a 5K. We need to recover with a decent break. I talk about this sort of personal effectiveness in my book, The Ten Toughest Leadership Problems and How to Solve Them (released in August 2025).
3 resources on how to take time off well:
How not to spend the whole time on your emails: and make best use of your leave
Common excuses for why you can’t switch off on vacation: and why they’re nonsense
Can you learn how to do nothing? And how can it benefit you?
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