As a CEO, I approach vacations as deliberate recovery. I recommend that you use it correctly, as time away sharpens judgment and improves decision quality. My preparation begins before departure. I start by intentionally slowing execution, delegating authority, and providing context rather than instructions. This ensures continuity of operations and enables a clean disengagement. While away, I step back from dashboards and routine metrics and focus instead on inputs that restore perspective, including reading, long walks, meaningful conversation, and quiet reflection. The objective is to get mental space where I believe my clarity returns. I avoid overstructuring my schedule. One anchor activity per day is sufficient. Tip for planning and approaching vacations to ensure you return to work feeling refreshed is block your first day before leaving and return with no meetings. That time is reserved for reviewing priorities, assessing decisions made in my absence, and reentering the work with intent. My advice? Rest is not recovery after the work, it is what keeps judgment sharp and leadership scalable.
As a CEO, I've learned that taking vacations isn't just about getting away from work—it's about really disconnecting and letting your mind recharge. Early on, I used to take time off but still stayed glued to emails and messages. By the end of the vacation, I felt just as stressed as before. Over time, I realized the real benefit comes when you plan your time off so that work can run without you for a few days. One thing that works for me is preparing the team in advance and delegating ownership clearly. I make sure every project has a point person, I leave detailed updates, and I set expectations that I won't be checking in. That allows me to fully step back and trust the team to handle things. When I come back, I'm sharper, more focused, and often see solutions to problems that I couldn't when I was immersed in work. The tip I'd give is this: treat your vacation like it's a real break, not a gap between work. Plan, delegate, and step away completely. That's the only way it actually refreshes you and helps you return with energy and perspective.
I approach vacations very intentionally, because real rest doesn't happen by accident — especially as a CEO. For me, the goal isn't just time away from work, but creating mental space where my nervous system actually slows down. That starts before I leave. I decide in advance what not to think about, not just what I'm stepping away from, and I communicate clear boundaries with my team so there's no background anxiety pulling me back in. One tip that consistently makes the biggest difference: I plan my return before I plan the vacation. I block my first day back with no meetings and low-stakes tasks. Knowing I won't immediately be thrown into decisions or pressure allows me to fully disconnect while I'm away. Otherwise, part of your brain never rests. As a founder and CEO of Tinkogroup, a data services company, I've learned that rest isn't a luxury — it's part of performance. The quality of my thinking, patience, and leadership after a vacation matters far more than how many days I was gone. When vacations are designed with recovery in mind, you don't just come back refreshed— you come back clearer.
As a CEO, I treat time off the same way I treat work, with intention. If I do not plan for rest, it does not happen. Running Stonewall DUI Services means the work never fully stops, so I have learned that vacations only work when you truly step away. My approach is simple. Before I leave, I make sure my team is clear on the decisions they can make without me. That removes the urge to check in constantly. I also avoid overpacking the schedule while away. No rushing. No trying to do everything. Space matters more than activities. One tip that has made a big difference is taking at least one full day at the start of a vacation to do almost nothing. No travel stress, no emails, no big plans. Just rest. It helps reset your head faster. When I return to work, I am calmer, more focused, and honestly better at leading.
I approach time off the same way I approach strategy with intention. I don't try to "escape" my work completely; instead, I set clear boundaries before I leave by deciding what needs my attention and what can wait, which actually allows my nervous system to rest. One tip that's made the biggest difference is planning my return as thoughtfully as my departure, blocking the first day back for deep work and recalibration rather than meetings, so I re-enter feeling grounded, clear, and energized rather than overwhelmed.
For me, a vacation isn't an escape from responsibility; instead, it's an opportunity to get away from things and take a break from the pressures of work. But before I leave, I'm very careful about setting priorities for what needs to be done and who will be responsible for completing these jobs while I'm gone, so nothing is dependent on me being available at all times. A key thing for me has been to completely disconnect from emails, Slack messages, and other online activities during the first 48 hours of my vacation. By doing this, I'm able to rest, reset and recharge my body and brain, which helps restore my creativity to full capacity. After I'm back from vacation, I'm far more focused, patient, and able to make quality decisions than when I was before my vacation.
I block vacation time on my calendar with the same priority as a client meeting and clearly communicate those dates and boundaries to my team and clients. This protects true downtime and helps me return focused and refreshed. Tip: put your vacation on the calendar early and treat it as a firm commitment.
On vacation I apply my mantra, “Move more quickly by slowing down,” by unplugging daily, training, and leaving space to think. Protecting that quiet time keeps my mind clear and makes the return to work focused. Tip: schedule a daily unplug block before you leave and treat it like a key meeting.
I approach vacations with intention rather than chasing a perfect shutdown. As a founder, that full disconnect is rarely realistic, and I've learned not to fight that. Changing the pace matters more than pretending work disappears. Time away helps me step back from daily decisions and urgency. It gives me clearer perspective on our customers and the mission we support in nonprofit fundraising. That mental reset is where the real value comes from. Before I take time off, I focus on setting the team up to operate confidently. Clear ownership and trust make it easier for me to let go while I'm away. I'm intentional about not jumping in unless something truly needs me. One tip I always share is to plan vacations around reducing urgency. You don't need to remove responsibility entirely. When I come back, I'm more focused and grounded, which is what makes the time off genuinely rejuvenating.
The most impactful thing I've ever done to improve my vacations is to share my travel ideas with my assistant and let her do the research. Once I decide where and when I want to go, she books everything for my trip. That eliminates the time-consuming and annoying aspects of travel, allowing me to relax and enjoy myself. Then, I return to work refreshed and rejuvenated.
In reality, I actually view vacation time as part of my overall intended recovery and will inform the team about these plans so that I can fully "unplug" without the guilt or need for check-ins. This is perhaps the single most important thing that I've taken away from various articles on the subject about vacationing and the role of decision makers and the 'no contact' period at the onset of a vacation that will allow the mind to "shut down."
My approach to vacation is a complete Structural Disengagement and System Re-Balance. The conflict is the trade-off: simply leaving the office often creates a massive structural failure in mental rest due to constant checking; true rejuvenation demands a clean break from all operational load-bearing duties. To maximize benefits, I enforce a Hands-on, Redundant Coverage Protocol weeks beforehand. I trade personal accessibility for disciplined, decentralized operational power. Every core responsibility is verifiably reassigned to at least two key leaders. This ensures every heavy duty task has an established, accountable backup. The goal is to make myself structurally obsolete for the duration of the time off. My tip for planning is to implement a Zero-Check, Two-Level Emergency Filter. Before leaving, I notify the team that I will check email zero times. Then, I designate one single point of contact—not two or three—who knows the only two issues that warrant an immediate call: verified structural damage to a jobsite or an unforeseen legal injunction. Everything else is backlog. This guaranteed mental wall allows for a genuine system reset. The best way to approach time off is to be a person who is committed to a simple, hands-on solution that prioritizes quantifying and transferring the operational structural load.
I consider planning vacations as operational events, not escapes. Prior to leaving, I establish clear boundaries and definitions of what requires my attention and who is responsible for what in my absence. Establishing these boundaries helps prevent constant interruptions and fosters trust and confidence within the organization. One strategy that has proven helpful to me in achieving maximum restoration benefits during my time off is blocking the first day back from any meetings. Having that day available to reflect, prioritize and re-engage in a calm manner rather than being hit with a tidal wave of tasks immediately upon returning has allowed me to recharge effectively. To be able to truly rest, one's nervous system must be fully disconnected from the world. Providing structure enables that to happen without sacrificing accountability.
As a CEO, I schedule my time off intentionally and with clear boundaries. After a vacation where I stayed half-connected, got bombarded by emails/chats and returned more drained, I now make it a point that vacations will have CLEAR BOUNDARIES. Two weeks before I leave, I document everything, delegate ownership, and schedule one check-in at most if anything. Rather than focus on managing my expectations, I simply slow down, silencing my nervous system, in order to be more creative and to gain a wider perspective (usually around day four). I'm also plotting some sort of decompression ritual before and after the trip. I allotted myself 90 minutes to wrap things up and cleanse my mental palate before I left. When I return, I don't schedule any meetings on the first day. That way, I have time to re-enter work and do grounding activities.
Maximizing vacations is accomplished through the concept of 'clinical detachment.' It is the way I am able to mentally and physically separate my personal life from the trauma of being in a care setting. To attain such a distance, you need to plan your trip to create it. The key for me is to have a 'hand-off' meeting prior to leaving with my clinical supervisors. This allows me to be confident my staff is prepared for any emergencies that could arise during my absence. This peace of mind—knowing that my staff has been trained for any emergency—allows me to relax and be free from my worries about patients. Having this professional confidence when I return from vacation makes me feel rejuvenated and ready to serve my patients with the calmness and stability they expect from me.
When approaching time off I have two clear intentions: change my environment and to change my pace. I like to slow things down and live in the moment. For me, that usually means a lot of physical movement and experiences to include surfing, golfing, beach walks and choosing to read a book over scrolling through a screen. My favorite tip: before you leave, decide on one non-negotiable vacation rule that protects your energy. It can be "no meetings," or no email before noon. Then tell the people around you (and your team) what that boundary is. That simple pre-decision removes guilt, cuts down on reactive work, and lets you actually rest, so you return with a clearer mind.
I like to approach vacations and time off as my way of setting an example for my employees to take a pause and go on breaks every once in a while. What works best for me is entirely cutting off any line of communication from my work and assigning a person-in-charge, who will temporarily take over my duties for me. In case of emergency though, I make sure to leave them a contact number, but reiterate that they should only use it if calling me is the only solution possible. One tip I highly recommend is to clean your house before you go on your vacation. For me, doing so makes the idea of coming back and continuing to work from home less stressful and more enticing. I also make sure to allocate the last two days of my vacation to just unpacking my stuff and slowly easing my body back into its usual routine, so I can be work ready by Monday.
The main hurdle for someone wanting to have some true downtime is the connection they have to the world digitally. I use my vacations as a way to reboot my system; therefore, it means having to disconnect entirely from anything digital. One of the first things I do before leaving for vacation is to uninstall all email and project-related communication applications on my phone, as this makes it physically impossible for me to mindlessly scroll through or see those emails or updates that have come in while I am away. Once removed, I have an opportunity to completely relax my mind and will be able to return to the office with a much higher level of creative drive and a perspective that has taken all the clutter out of our digital strategy.
I plan vacations by removing myself from the day-to-day before I leave, not the day I fly out. The week prior, I hand off decisions, tighten priorities, and make sure nothing depends on me. That lets my mind switch off faster because the work isn't chasing me. One tip: set a clear "point person" for anything urgent so you're not half-working the whole trip.
My view about taking time off as a leader is to build trust and autonomy with your team. I support my community leads while I'm away on vacation. Before each trip, I suggest we create a "transition week" where I gradually reduce my involvement with day-to-day operations to demonstrate the capability of the team to run our mission without direct supervision from me. Being able to return and know that the community was in beneficial hands while I was gone provides me peace of mind when I leave home for an extended period of time. Upon returning, I feel refreshed because I have a solid foundation to support my work.