This is going to be a fun post. We’re thinking outside-of-the-box about how to get the most out of being off for 3 days. Here are my helpful guidelines!
1. Three days off are… three days off. Forget about what day it is.
First, it is really important that you go into the 3-Days Off scenario with the right attitude. Some of us cheat ourselves out of fun and joy because the days off might be in the middle of the work week. “Oh…” we start to whine, “It’s in the middle of the week… What am I gonna do on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday?” Honestly, the same things you probably could do on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday; or, a Saturday, Sunday and Monday. When you change your thinking from “day” of the week to days of the week, you change the concept and way you think about the time. Tuesday now becomes Day-1; Wednesday is Day-2; and Thursday is Day-3. Once you have your head wrapped around that, you are ready for the next step.
2. Deal with complications as best you can.
Now, I’m hearing some of you say… ”Well, what about the kids?… they have school!” The In-The-Box answer is: …. I got nothing (laugh)… Your best case scenario may be to sit on the couch eat popcorn and …mope (because you got three days off–in the middle of the week). The out-of-the-box response is: What about them? Will three days cause your kids to fail for the year? (I hope not.) But if you are uncomfortable with taking them out of school, that should still not interfere with you enjoying your days off. Work dropping them off and picking them up from school into your schedule. Own the 3-Day Off time like you bought and paid for them. By dropping the
kids off (if you normally don’t do so) instead of waiting for the bus, you gain control of the time you have available and are not dependent upon the bus driver arriving on time or having to wait to do something until the bus gets there. If necessary, take the family out for a morning breakfast at IHOP or McDonalds’ or Burger King before dropping them off at school. Then after dropping them off continue with the rest of the day until it’s time to pick them up. Make sure, however, that you have designated a time and place to meet for the pickup so that all goes smoothly.
3. Start early and finish reasonably late.
What does this mean? Basically, don’t waste your whole day sleeping in late. And, end your day early enough so that you can be able to start fresh again on the next one. Believe it or not, you can do a lot in 24 hours. Taking time to jot down a few activities the night before; saves you time on the day of–and can only enrich your Three-Days-Off experience.
4. Don’t Disconnect from Reality—Incorporate it.
I think part of going into the 3-Days Off scenario with the right attitude includes fully acknowledging that it is only three days off. Enjoy them. Live them. But, on the fourth day—hit the ground running. I think You can only do this by staying in touch with your routines. If you get a call, answer it or return the call as soon as possible. If you need to reply to an email, do it and don’t feel bad about it. Anything you can do to make your return to work easier will be an apparent benefit to you when you get back. (It’ll be like you never left).
Hopefully these suggestions will help! So the next time you only have three days off in the middle of the week, you won’t just look at them as “three days off—pshh”. But, you will see them as…Three Days Off!—let’s party, it’s ya’ birthday! And, if you need tickets… www.MiltaryFares.com –We’ll get them ready.