What's the best strategy when it comes to taking your annual leave?
Some people squirrel it all away for one long break or a big trip, while others take shorter mini-breaks regularly throughout the year.
But what do experts consider to be the most beneficial?
The short answer is there's no right answer — it depends on your individual circumstances.
But there are a few things you might want to consider.
Will someone cover you?
We were interested in the mental health impacts of taking a long holiday to ward off burnout and improve general wellbeing.
So we talked to:
- Claire Kelly from Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
- Mark Deady from the mood disorder research facility Black Dog Institute
- Kristen Douglas from national youth mental health foundation Headspace
Dr Kelly, director of MHFA's international program, says one of the benefits of taking a longer break is that, generally speaking, someone will pick up your work while you're away.
"We will have made arrangements for someone else to pick up work we otherwise would have been doing," she says.
"That helps us turn all the way off."
She says one of the drawbacks to taking a shorter holiday might mean work will pile up while you're away.
"If you take just a week, whatever you've been doing just pauses."
And there's the temptation to keep across what's happening, so you might check your work emails on your phone.
"Immediately that is no longer a holiday," Dr Kelly says.
Will you be able to disconnect?
"I would be recommend that individuals use their leave when they’re beginning to feel those pressures building up and affecting their health and wellbeing," Dr Deady of the Black Dog Institute says.
But the UNSW Senior Research Fellow says it's really a matter of personal preference.
"This idea of being able to disconnect is the critical thing.
"If you’re able to do that better by taking a chunk of time off and come back feeling totally refreshed versus a week every few months and and during that week, you’re monitoring your emails, you’re thinking about work, I would."
It's helpful to set strong boundaries about your leave.
"When booking that time out, say you're not doing work, you won't be available on the phone and you will not come to that meeting and you're expecting people to respect that," Dr Kelly says.
Will you be able to rest?
"You need a whole bunch of different resting," Ms Douglas says.
As the head of schools and communities at Headspace, she has a big job.
And sometimes it can take a while to wind down from work.
So even though you're physically out of your workplace and laying on a beach somewhere, you can still be in a mindset of being at work.
Ms Douglas says it's important to spend your holidays doing things that "top you up" while giving yourself a break from the barrage of work-related information.
"[You need] time off from thinking and being connected and being saturated in information," she says.
How do I decide what's best for me?
All three experts say it depends on the person, but there's pros and cons for everything.
Let's unpack those:
Pros of saving up your leave for a long holiday:
- A longer consistent period of disconnection from work
- The ability to travel further — like an overseas trip — which means feeling of different experience
- Someone being tasked with doing your work in your absence
- Less temptation to check emails, pick up calls or dial-in to meetings
- The anticipation of something big to look forward to
Cons of saving up your leave for a long holiday:
- Long stints at work between breaks
- Pressure to make the most of your time off
- Anxiety about the amount of work waiting for you when you get back
Pros of taking shorter, more regular breaks:
- Less time between breaks
- Not being completely fried by the time you get a break — meaning you'll likely have more energy to enjoy yourself
- Less pressure to cram activities in while you're in far-off places
- More flexibility to take time off as you need it
Cons of taking shorter, more regular breaks:
- Less time consistently disconnected from work
- Temptation to check emails or take calls
- Temptation to fall back into working-week habits because your environment is the same
- No one tasked with picking up your work because you'll be back soon
How do I make the most of my holidays?
Disconnect:
Dr Deady says it's important not to dip back into work sporadically over your break.
For example, if you say you'll take a one-hour meeting, you might think it's just an hour out of a week — no big deal.
But thinking about and planning your day around that meeting can be disruptive, and engaging in work can put you back in the mindset of working — which means you're not really in holiday mode.
So you're going to have to cut yourself off.
"It is important they do that to maximise the benefits of that leave," Dr Deady says.
"Turning off notifications, not having ready access to your email and not taking that random meeting."
And don't rely on willpower alone — think about having someone you trust act as your work email gatekeeper.
"I have asked a colleague to choose a new password for my email," Dr Kelly says.
"And then you just can't do it, there's nothing you can do."
Do what energises you:
Dr Kelly says she likes to be a bit of a homebody doing her time off, while other people like to get out and explore.
And she says both are great, depending on the person.
So people who feel recharged by being out meeting new people and seeing new sights may feel more revitalised by going on a big trek than by than having a relaxing break at home.
Whereas, if you're the kind of person who feels refreshed by cosying up in bed and pottering around the house, a big trip might exhausting.
This might change depending on your circumstances — say if you've had a particularly tiring few months or you're feeling like things are a bit monotonous and stale.
"There's no right or wrong answers," Dr Kelly says.
Break out of routine:
Dr Kelly says to think about your weekly habits and break out of them while you're on holiday.
"What you do at night — are you going to end up sitting in front of the TV?"
"You really want to make a conscious effort of having it be a different experience
"Not saying that Netflix is work, but if it's your everyday, is it going to be as refreshing?"
She says we fall into habits because our brains like routine.
"It's safe to work and watch TV.
"[But] it doesn't necessarily equate to being useful or relaxing.
"And it's not just passive things.
"If you cycle to work every day, do you want to be taking a long cycling holiday?"
How long is the ideal holiday?
Again, this is one of those "it depends on the individual" things.
But both Dr Deady and Ms Douglas say they need more than a week to get the full benefits of a break.
Ms Douglas says she took a week's holiday by the beach, but found it took her about three days to stop thinking about work.
Even though you're not actually doing work, thinking about work makes you feel like you're there.
"I was still worrying about work, I was still being exposed to the stresses of work," she says.
"Technically, I'm still working."
Dr Deady says how long you take off comes down to individual preference, but think about what length of time will be enough to generate the distance you need from work.
"I find personally, that sometimes a week isn’t enough."
He says that, for him, about 10 days is best.
When are the next school holidays?
Below is the list of state and territory school holidays as they're listed on the federal government website, but independent schools may have different term dates.
ACT, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Victoria and Western Australia:
- Last day of school: Thursday, April 6
- First day back: Monday, April 24
Queensland:
- Last day of school: Friday, March 31
- First day back: Monday, April 17
Tasmania:
- Last day of school: Wednesday, April 5 (but colleges finish on Thursday, April 6)
- First day back: Monday, April 24
South Australia
- Last day of school: Friday, April 14
- First day back: Monday, May 1
