What Remote Work Actually Taught Me About Taking Real Time Off

When I first started working remotely, I assumed taking more time off would naturally get easier. No commute, no office to physically leave, and a lot more control over my day. Surely that would make it easier to take a break when I wanted to?

Not quite.

If anything, I found that working from anywhere made it possible to work everywhere. I’d check an email because it would “only take a minute” or open my laptop to quickly finish something before heading out.

I started to realize that having more freedom in my working day wasn’t necessarily making me any better at taking time off.

“Not Working Much” Isn’t the Same As Being Off

This was probably the hardest habit to spot because, technically, I wasn’t working much at all.

 Checking Slack over breakfast takes a couple of minutes. Replying to an email while waiting for lunch is hardly a full day at the office. And opening my laptop to sort out one small problem doesn’t feel like work when I’m about to spend the rest of my day doing whatever I want.

But stack all those micro-tasks together, and you never quite fully switch off.

I’ve realized sometimes I need a much cleaner break: going somewhere with terrible Wi-Fi, booking one of those 3-day cruises, or just leaving my laptop at home. Whatever form it takes, I need some time where checking my inbox isn’t even part of the plan.

I Stopped Trying to Earn My Vacations

I also had a habit of working extra hard before going away. I’d try to clear everything from my plate, work late in the run-up to the trip, and still tell coworkers they could reach me “if they really needed to”. Looking back, I’m not entirely sure who I thought I was helping.

Remote work makes this surprisingly easy to justify because you already have more flexibility, so answering the odd email here and there while you’re away doesn’t seem like such a big sacrifice.

The trouble was I’d often wait until I was completely burned out before deciding I deserved a proper break. By then, I spent the first few days recovering from work rather than actually enjoying being away.

I don’t want every vacation to be an emergency recharge, especially when I spend so much time planning them.

Now I Prepare for Vacations a Little Differently

I still try to get important things finished before I leave, but I’ve stopped obsessing over trying to clear everything on my to-do list. There will always be another email or something someone suddenly remembers they need the afternoon before you leave.

Now, I set strict boundaries around my availability:

• I turn on automatic out-of-office messages early on my last day so I can wrap up any new emails before I go.
• I avoid saying “I’ll check in occasionally”, because “occasionally” almost always turns into every morning.
• I consider what would genuinely be considered an emergency (and the list is usually pretty short).
• I turn off work notifications on my phone or leave my laptop at home entirely.

None of this is particularly groundbreaking. I’ve just learned that if I don’t make it slightly difficult to work when I’m away, I probably will.

Actually Feeling Rested

The difference becomes obvious when I get home.

Coming back after a few days of half-working feels no different from a normal Monday morning. Coming back after I’ve made an effort to leave work alone does. I have more patience, I can concentrate better, and even the inevitable pile of emails bothers me less.

Remote work still gives me the kind of freedom I value. I just don’t think that freedom is only about being able to open my laptop wherever I happen to be anymore. Sometimes, it’s being able to close it and leave it closed.