Stop Feeling Guilty About PTO: Here’s How to Make It Work for You

I used to feel some weird pride in having left over PTO days at the end of the year. I talked about it like a badge of honor to show that I had put the company above myself and my needs. Taking PTO would make me feel guilty and uncomfortable, so I just didn't take it. No one asked me to do this. I just did it. 

It was only when I really started to feel burnt out that I begrudgingly used up my PTO. But that came with its own feelings of guilt for being gone for multiple days in a row (gasp!) and dread over the pile of work that would be waiting for me upon my return. 

I started watching what the other folks in my office were doing. How were they using their PTO and coming back so cheerful, so rested, so excited to get back into the grind without feeling overwhelmed?

Watching others closely gave me a few ah-ha moments and I realized that by doing 3 things I could set myself up to take all my PTO and actually enjoy it.

1. Give myself permission to take the time off.
This is a mindset shift that made a big difference in the way I approached my PTO balance. The company gave it to me and expected me to use it. There was no reason I should have different expectations for myself. Gone were the days of pride for overworking myself and instead I started to celebrate using my PTO to actually enjoy my life. 

2. Preparing for the time away in advance, including asking others to cover my responsibilities, creating a responsibilities matrix, and sending out communication about my time away.
This made sure no one was left in the lurch while I was gone, empowered folks to step up and step in, and made me feel confident that there were no big tasks piling up or things falling through the cracks. Preparation = peace of mind.

3. Actually leaving work for others to do and trusting that they could do it without me.
This one took some time for me, but when I really broke down my tasks and who could cover what, I started to realize how great it was to have backup. Training others on my work gave them some professional development and made sure that I wasn’t the only person in the company that knew what I did and how I did it. It also gave me the mental space to separate myself from the work so that I  could give myself a chance to fully enjoy my PTO time.

When I started doing these 3 things the results were honestly mind-blowing for me. I felt more relaxed using my PTO and I was able to disconnect more fully. I felt more comfortable coming back to the office and I wasn’t feeling panic before my first day back. I also got to start my time back with a huge dose of gratitude and send some well deserved shoutouts to those that covered for me. That gave us all a healthy dose of endorphins.

Over the years, my relationship with my PTO balance got healthier and I got much more confident about taking time for myself. 

If you’ve got a PTO balance that you don’t have a plan for, it might be time to try something a little different. So here’s my challenge for you: Schedule that PTO!!! 

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Hi, I'm Brittany, a Leadership & Resilience Coach, helping professionals navigate through challenging career moments and partnering with them through 1:1 coaching to come out the other side with clarity and confidence. Learn more about working with me.