How Leaders Can Utilize Micro-Vacations To Their Advantage

This expert opinion by Peter Economy, The Leadership Guy, was originally published on Inc.com.

Imagine that you’re sitting on your sofa. It’s 7 p.m. on a Wednesday evening. You’re staring at your laptop screen—the cursor blinking rhythmically in an empty email. You’ve been trying to put together an important client proposal for an hour, but your brain increasingly feels like molasses—slow, sticky, and utterly unproductive. Sound familiar?

It’s a common misconception that more hours mean more progress. But what if I told you that taking some well-timed, strategic breaks can help you become more productive than ever before? And one of the best ways to do this is through the art of taking micro-vacations.

What Are Micro-Vacations?

If you’re like me, when someone mentions vacation, you probably think about all the reasons you can’t take one. The mountain of emails waiting for your return. The projects that can’t wait. The guilt of leaving your teams in the lurch.

Micro-vacations flip this script entirely. They’re all about taking intentional breaks lasting anywhere from just a few hours to a few days. No passport required. No guilt trip included. Just you deliberately stepping away from the chaos long enough to remember you’re a human being, not a mindless productivity machine.

The Science Behind Taking A Break 

Here’s something that might surprise you: Researchers at the University of Michigan found that your stress hormone cortisol starts dropping within minutes after truly disconnecting from work and spending time in an outdoor place enjoying nature. That’s minutes, not hours or days. The efficiency of this shift is greatest between 20 and 30 minutes, but the benefits continue to accumulate at a reduced rate.

Strategic Implementation For Maximum Impact

How can you get started working micro-vacations into your schedule? First rule: Sleeping until noon on Saturday doesn’t count. Your brain knows the difference between accidentally resting and intentionally recharging. Here are some options that are particularly easy to adopt:

• The long weekend redux
  Utilize a single vacation day to create a three-day, long-weekend escape. Friday is best. I know, using precious PTO for just one day feels almost wasteful, but I truly believe in the power of those monthly Friday escapes. You’ll get 80 percent of the benefit of a week off, but you’ll be back at your desk before Monday’s chaos can find you.
• The workday escape
  Block out an entire afternoon like it’s a board meeting with yourself. No half-hearted, “I’ll just check this one email” nonsense. If you like to hike, consider keeping a pair of hiking boots in your car for spontaneous trail adventures.

• The staycation intensive
  This one’s my personal favorite. Transform your personal space for 24 to 48 hours. Order takeout (calling my friends at DoorDash…), silence your phone, and rediscover hobbies buried under your to-do list.

Making Your Micro-Vacation Count

Here’s where most people mess up: You take the break but bring the baggage along with you. Set that out-of-office message without apologizing for existing. Delegate like you would if you were going to the hospital (dramatic, but effective). For the love of all that’s productive, stop checking your phone every five minutes. You can do it!

Choose activities that actually energize you, not what you think you should do. If yoga retreats make you anxious, skip them. If your idea of heaven is three hours in a bookstore café, own it. Most important, schedule these breaks like you mean it. Would you randomly cancel a client meeting? Then, don’t randomly cancel your micro-vacation for that “one urgent thing” that always seems to pop up when you least expect it, stealing away your “me” time.

The Productivity Paradox 

Here’s the surprising irony: Taking micro-vacations often makes you more productive, not less. Well-rested minds make fewer mistakes, generate better ideas, and maintain energy when everyone else is burning out.

And if you’re a leader? Your team is watching. When you model healthy boundaries—including those micro- and macro-vacations—you give them permission to be human too. The result? Less turnover, fewer sick days, and teams that can actually sustain high performance instead of just faking it. Sounds pretty good to me.