Do you nap on vacation?

by Roger Sinasohn (Subscribe to Roger Sinasohn's posts) Feb 20th 2008 1:54PM

Categories: Just For Dads, Money & Work, Places To Go

I've had a bit of a cold or something the whole time we've been up here by Lake Tahoe and yesterday, it kinda caught up with me. We put the kids down for a nap and I decided to lie down for just a bit. I told Rachel I was only going to rest for half an hour, but almost four hours later, Rachel had to wake me up.

Unfortunately, that meant I got nothing done all afternoon. I had planned to do some work and prepare for more fun with the kids and even clean up a bit, but none of that happened. Normally, when I'm on holiday, I use the time (when the kids are napping) to get some work done on some personal projects or do some writing. I keep going full blast just the same as when I'm at work.

Am I alone in this? Do others make use of vacation time as work time? I know a few people who just stay home during their time off and surf the internet or watch movies, and I know others who don't do any work while on holiday -- but they don't have kids and can get stuff done outside of work. But what about other parents? Do you keep burning the candle at both ends or is vacation a chance to snuff one out temporarily?

Comments (3)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Mel 2-20-2008 @ 2:39PM

I think it depends on whether you can compartmentalize. For example, if completely checking out this week would mean you'll be stressed and overextended next week, then get some work done now. On the other hand, some people need a total break from work in order to recharge and return full strength. It's a mentality thing: Some need a complete vacation, while for others it could be counterproductive to entirely cease working. Personally, I like to keep up with correspondence during vacations, while letting everything else slide. For me this feels right, because when I return I know that I don't have a pile of correspondence to reply to.

Kellie 2-20-2008 @ 9:43PM

Vacations are when we nap the most.

Maureen 2-20-2008 @ 11:31PM

Work on vacation??? I do enough of that 51 weeks of the year. I love to nap or spend all afternoon reading on the back porch of some rented house. Of course, now that kids are in the picture it doesn't work out like that quite as often, but I'm sure those days will come again when they go off to explore on their own.

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