by Sarah Kelleher 
The week before last, I had an internal debate with myself about switching off, in more ways than one. With a much-needed week’s holiday to Crete, I was really looking forward to totally taking a breaking, switching off my mind and, more literally, switching off my work mobile. However, a couple of my projects were reaching key milestones and a small part of me wanted to be able to check in every now and again to make sure everything was ticking along.
It’s a common issue for a lot of cloud-based workers these days. Just a quick Google search of ‘switching off from work on holiday’ will show you that. With such easy and instant access to connect with your emails and systems from anywhere in the world, especially with the recent changes to roaming charges in Europe, it becomes very tempting to check in.
Annual leave and, more generally, work-life balance is so important in this busy, connected age we live in. If we don’t give ourselves the proper time to unwind, relax and reset, the impact on mental and physical health can be serious. We all deserve a little time to ourselves and to enjoy the world around us.
So, as we head into holiday season, here’s my gentle reminder to switch off… properly.