Flight mode is on.

By the time you are reading this, I’ll be settled somewhere in snowy Christchurch, New Zealand and I’ll have switched on flight mode.

Flight mode:

- a setting available on smartphones and other portable computers that, when activated, suspends radio-frequency signal transmission by the device, thereby disabling the connectivity of the device.

Or

How I think we need to start approaching not only our holidays but our down time in this industry.

Typically, in our ever-connected world, we take holidays but are still fully contactable. Our mobiles have become an extension of ourselves.

What kind of holiday is that really? Are we really giving ourselves a chance to reconnect, relax and recuperate? Or by being in a new location but still connected to our work are we just tricking ourselves?

Turning on flight mode means going offline completely. Disconnecting from the daily grind. Giving your mind and body a chance to switch gears and slow the pace down for once.

Working at 100% 24/7 is unsustainable. it puts unbelievable amounts of stress on your body. In the long term, will at lead to burn out.

I see this so often in the real estate industry. Working a million hours is not a badge of honour.

So, after reading this, if you don’t have some future flight mode scheduled into your diary, go and book some.

And if you are about to take some time off, I encourage you to truly disconnect, even if it’s a baby step of doing so for just a day!