It\u2019s tough out there in the IT world. Some of our buddies are unemployed, and that\u2019s hard to see happening to people we care about. And if jobs are scarce, that means that moving to another job is not only more risky than before, but also less likely.<\/p>\n
Aside from jobs being hard to come by, there are also fewer people doing the same amount of work as before. This might mean taking a vacation is simply not possible right now. Are you in this situation?<\/p>\n
Here are some tips for avoiding burnout, even if you can\u2019t take time off for a vacation:<\/p>\n
Can you take a weekend getaway? There must be some charming lake, bed and breakfast, or historical site within a few hours\u2019 drive of your home. Or perhaps a relative you\u2019ve been meaning to see, but haven\u2019t. Try to keep the laptop shut all weekend, unless you have a compelling reason otherwise. (Your being a workaholic is not a compelling reason. Go have some fun. If you\u2019ve forgotten how, make a concerted effort to relearn the concept. Even if you\u2019re proud of being a workaholic, look at it this way: you\u2019ll be a better workaholic if you stop for a while!)<\/p>\n
No weekend getaway? Can you get away overnight? Look for a special at a local hotel with a scenic view. Have a nice dinner, take a long drive or attend an event, get a fru-fru concoction from a coffee store, then slip off to sleep in your hotel room \u2013 don\u2019t set the alarm clock! In the morning, order a sumptuous breakfast in the room (no corn flakes and milk for you today, my friend) and watch a useless but amusing TV show while you eat, or order up a movie you\u2019ve been meaning to see. Open the curtains and enjoy the scenic view. If exercising is relaxing to you, try out the equipment in the hotel gym, or hike, run, or swim around in the scenic view. Take a long, hot shower or bath. Call the desk and ask if you can arrange a late check out \u2013 maybe you can eat lunch in the room too.<\/p>\n
Lunchtime during the week can be your friend, too \u2013 can you arrange a two-hour lunch? Do whatever you\u2019d normally feel guilty about doing. Peruse shoes at Nordstrom. Get a manicure or massage. Look at big screen TVs at the electronics store. Go to a yoga class. Have lunch with that friend who knows just what to say when you\u2019re feeling down. Go to the Apple store and see what their latest gadget does.<\/p>\n
Do you work out in the evenings? Is there a spa or resort nearby? (In Dallas, we have the Gaylord Texan – it’s a real wonderland.) Perhaps you could work out there sometimes \u2013 you won\u2019t be on vacation, but you\u2019ll at least be in a vacation setting \u2013 you can pretend for an hour! No spa? Can you take a class at your gym, or do something different than usual? Archery? Tai chi? Rock climbing? Escape from the usual.<\/p>\n
Good luck, my burned out IT colleagues, with your quest for a less stressful existence. May things get better soon for our industry and our nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s tough out there in the IT world. Some of our buddies are unemployed, and that\u2019s hard to see happening to people we care about. And if jobs are scarce, that means that moving to another job is not only more risky than before, but also less likely.<\/p>\n
Aside from jobs being hard to come […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mcneelytech.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mcneelytech.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mcneelytech.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mcneelytech.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mcneelytech.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/www.mcneelytech.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269,"href":"http:\/\/www.mcneelytech.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions\/269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mcneelytech.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mcneelytech.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mcneelytech.com\/blog1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}