Executives need to re-learn how to be away from work

Since Thursday, I have started a short week of leave away from work till next week. This is supposed to be my first trip away together without the children. We planned for a 3-day getaway at Banyan Tree resort at Phuket. However, developments in Thailand triggered our trip cancellation. I had initially thought that I can easily book my wife and i into a nice hotel locally and get into a day of spa and pampering. Again, it was not meant to be with F1 Singapore, with good rooms snapped up and spa packages filled and what remains have exhorbitant price escalations. The ST even reported that escort services are having a jolly good business as a result of F1- not that I am looking for one!

My leave started well yesterday. My wife and I left our home early after a casual breakfast at Serangoon Gardens. After a visit to a watch shop at Suntec City to fix up the bracelet of a watch that I got for my wife for our anniversary, we headed down to pick my daughter from school and had a great lunch at the Straits Kitchen at Hyatt Hotel. The food was so good but the joy was derived from watching how my wife and daughter enjoyed their lunch experience!

However, lunch was frequently interupted by smses, calls and the regular flickering of lights from my Blackberry (new mails...). My peace was increasingly disturbed. There was a update paper to boss that requires my vetting, a call came to ask me to clear a letter to the lawyer, an sms came to tell me that a package for staff has been arranged and asked for my decision on how to proceed, a new arrangement between institutions on outram campus needs to be resolved. My wife looked at me and told me something that i did not enjoy hearing, "dear, but you are on leave, can't somebody else handle it?"... But she is right!

After I sold my iPhone, I had collapsed my mobile phone together with the blackberry. This is the wrong move because it is very easy to pick up a call and then see that you have new mails that may need attention. I decided that this part of my life must be sorted out. I left my wife and kids at Hyatt while i went over to the nearby Far East Shopping Centre and bought myself a handy Nokia E65 - my first used phone! Within 30 Minutes, I got the phone up and running and returned to Hyatt Hotel. I surrendered my Blackberry to my wife and asked her to take "custody" of it.

My distractions improved significantly after the "surrender" of the BB. But, at about 9pm, I decided to clear all the outstanding issues so that I can free my mind for the rest of my leave. I systematically managed every issue on email and was glad that by 12am, I got through the last email. I went to bed exhausted but happy that issues were cleared... but again it left me wondering if this has to be the way I spend my leave.

The truth is, I really like someone else to handle the issues when I am away. But, the way we do things has become quite knowledge based. I will need to spend quite a bit of time doing a mental download to my staff covering me before I leave and often this is not possible. Also, the expectations on speed of response in this internet age have increased significantly. Delays, even shortly, at times can mean that your decision or response will be irrelevant!

Perhaps, I wonder, if I need to re-learn/ un-learn how to be away from work. Even a machine needs a regular down-time and maintenance.

I welcome suggestions from anyone who has all this figured out.

Today seems better - at least for now. I received 5 smses starting from 7.30am to 830am but I ignored them until I finally got out of bed at 930am. Out of the 5 smses, one is a great news that my flights for my Nov trip to Tokyo has been confirmed, one asking for urgent advice and 3 on news on operational status at SGH. The sms on urgent advice has been superseded by time and I happily ignored it.

Blogging is one mode that I "destress" - hence I am writing this entry. Will fly out to have lunch with wife and determined to get to the gym for my planned dose of exercise.

Tomorrow will be better (according to a chinese song)... but executives need to manage the blackberry and manage their peace and recharge!