Prioritise Annual Leave – Now Not Later

So many women in leadership do the same thing every year: they earn annual leave… and then don’t properly use it.

Or they take it “on paper” but stay mentally on the job, checking emails, solving problems and carrying the team or the project from a sun lounger.

One senior woman, discussing a much-needed holiday, refused to believe she could be completely off. As far as she was concerned, she was indispensable, and the job could not be done without her. When I told her that she needed to take a break completely so that she could come back refreshed, she side-eyed me.

As a leader, it’s important to build teams that can work without you. To put in place your second in command, your decision-making structure and your emergency protocol.

Cue several months later, when she got COVID and COULD NOT work, she HAD to completely switch off. No email, Slack, or Teams; she couldn’t work. That’s when she understood what I was saying, because being off showed her that her team could work without her. That the big corporate company that she worked for would keep moving forward… regardless.

She had been conflating her worth with her work and completely ignoring her capacity.

If you’re a woman in leadership, there’s a pattern you’ve probably lived (and maybe normalised):

• You earn annual leave… and then don’t take it.
• You take it, but your mind keeps working.
• You “save” days for later, then find yourself in December carrying leave over (or losing it).
• You promise yourself next year will be different, then the diary fills up, and rest becomes a luxury you don’t believe you can afford.

Here’s what I need you to know:

Your time is finite! Your energy is finite! Your leadership capacity is finite!
And if you don’t plan recovery, work will expand into every available space.

This is your nudge (and your permission slip): plan your 2026 downtime now.

That could look like weeks away, long weekends, and “Me4Me” days, so you can stay out of the burnout zone and lead (and live) with steadier energy.

The hidden cost of “I’ll book later”

Waiting feels sensible, doesn’t it?

You might be thinking:

• “Let me see what the year looks like first.”
• “I’ll book once the project settles.”
• “I can’t take time off until the team is stable.”
• “I’ll take leave when I’m less tired.” (This one is a trap.)

But “later” usually becomes:

• Leave taken in crisis mode, you’re in recovery mode and have no space for restoration.
• The moment you stop, your body breaks down, and you get sick.
• Fragmented time off that never properly resets your nervous system.
• Guilt-soaked holidays where you keep checking in and never switch off.
• Carrying leave over until it becomes admin rather than well-being

And the big one: over time, you start to lead from depletion.
Shorter fuse – Less creativity – Less patience – More self-doubt – Less joy.

And let me tell you something you don’t realise is that your team is watching what you model. If you don’t take real time off, you are teaching others that rest is unsafe or optional and that you are always available and so should they be. 

By the way, before you start saying that, maybe, you’re not resilient enough. It’s nothing to do with resilience; it’s everything to do with being human.

Why you need to book your holidays now and not later

When you’re a leader, time off doesn’t just “happen.” It HAS to be designed.

When you plan your leave early, you’re not being “nice to yourself.” You’re being smart.

Booking in advance helps you:

1. Protect your capacity before it’s depleted
   Leave becomes preventative maintenance, like regularly servicing a high-performance engine rather than a costly emergency repair.
2. Create psychological safety
   When downtime is ring-fenced in the calendar, your nervous system can regulate. You can push when you are in an intense season, knowing you have scheduled your restoration time.
3. Make space for better leadership
   Rested leaders make better decisions. They communicate more effectively. They have more range, more patience, creativity, and perspective.
4. Model a healthier culture
   Whether you lead a team or influence peers, people take cues from you. Taking proper leave gives others permission to do the same.
5. It reduces guilt
   As a responsible leader, you will have agreed on cover, boundaries, and expectations in advance. Reducing the sense that everything will fall apart if you’re not there.

Your 2026 Holiday Map

The real goal: spread your downtime across the year

This is simple, effective and leadership-proof.

Use this as your holiday and restorative rhythm instead of the great escape!

You know what you need, but here’s a way to view your holiday year.

Aim for:

• 2 proper weeks away or 1 week + 2 mini-breaks if life is full
• 4 long weekends spread across the year
• 1 “Me4Me day” per month or at least one per quarter

A Me4Me day is a pre-booked weekday off for you; this is not your time to catch up on errands, admin, or anything else that isn’t completely focused on you. It’s for rest, creativity, joy, restoration, fun and pouring back into yourself.

If your first response is, “I could never,” that’s really useful information because that’s exactly why you need to plan them.

Put them in the calendar now and treat them as you would board meetings with yourself.

One phrase that will make all the difference? RING-FENCE

Maximise UK Bank Holidays in 2026 and stretch your leave further

Bank holidays are your built-in leverage, especially for long weekends and “mini resets”; they are a beautiful thing!

If you’re in England & Wales, your key 2026 bank holidays include:

• Fri 3 Apr Good Friday
• Mon 6 Apr Easter Monday
• Mon 4 May Early May bank holiday
• Mon 25 May Spring bank holiday
• Mon 31 Aug Summer bank holiday
• Fri 25 Dec Christmas Day
• Mon 28 Dec Boxing Day (substitute day)

If you’re in Scotland, note differences like:

• Mon 3 Aug Summer bank holiday (Scotland)
• Mon 30 Nov St Andrew’s Day

If you’re in Northern Ireland, you also have:

• Tue 17 Mar St Patrick’s Day
• Mon 13 Jul Battle of the Boyne (substitute day)

If you are not in the United Kingdom, go check out your Bank Holidays or Special Days here.

Easy “stretch” examples (England & Wales):

• Easter stretch: Take Tue 7–Fri 10 Apr (4 days leave), and you can create a 10-day break (Fri 3–Sun 12 Apr).
• Early May stretch: Take Tue 5–Fri 8 May (4 days leave) for a 9-day break (Sat 2–Sun 10 May).
• Spring bank stretch: Take Tue 26–Fri 29 May (4 days leave) for 9 days off (Sat 23–Sun 31 May).
• August stretch: Take Tue 1–Fri 4 Sep (4 days leave) for 9 days off (Sat 29 Aug–Sun 6 Sep).
• Christmas stretch: Take Mon 21–Thu 24 Dec (4 days leave) for 10 days off (Sat 19–Mon 28 Dec).

(Adjust these based on your region if you’re in Scotland / NI.)

Important reminder: your employer is not required to provide paid leave on bank holidays (this depends on your contract), so always check your leave policy when planning.

“But I can’t switch off”: how to actually take restorative leave

Women leaders don’t struggle to take leave – they struggle to be on leave.

So, here are a few practical ways to make your time off real:

1) Decide your “disconnection level” before you go

Choose one and communicate it:

• Full disconnect (ideal for true restoration). I call this off, off
• Light-touch window (e.g., 20 minutes twice a week), not my preference, but ensure it’s scheduled and doesn’t become daily.
• Emergency-only (with a very clear definition of emergency), this has to be crystal clear; otherwise, you’re just working in the sun.

Ambiguity is where holiday guilt thrives – because you’re not certain it will be alright.

2) Build a cover plan that doesn’t make you the backup

Before you go, clarify:

• Who makes decisions in your absence?
• What can wait?
• What must be escalated and to whom?
• What does “urgent” actually mean?

If everything still routes to you, you’re not on leave, you’re working remotely without the title and burning up holiday leave without the holiday.

3) Write an OOO that protects your peace

A good OOO:

• States you’re away, and when you return
• Sets expectations about response time
• Names the person for urgent queries
• Makes it clear you won’t be monitoring emails

Your out-of-office is not a customer service statement. It is a boundary. A client who worked for IBM told me that all incoming emails are deleted when on holiday, and that’s what the out of office message said . No return to an avalanche of emails.

4) Book a re-entry buffer

If you can, avoid returning straight into:

• back-to-back meetings
• a major deadline
• a performance conversation

So…

• Book a buffer hour or lighter first day if possible
• Do a quick “re-entry list”: top 3 priorities only

Even a single hour blocked off at the beginning of your return can make all the difference.

How to plan your 2026 leave in 20 minutes today

Open your calendar and do this in one sitting:

Step 1: Place your anchors

• Easter break
• One May long weekend
• Summer long weekend
• Christmas/New Year space (as available)

Step 2: Choose your “proper break”

Add at least one week that gives your brain enough time to truly downshift.

Step 3: Add “Me4Me” days

Pick one weekday each month (or quarterly).
Label it clearly: ME4ME DO NOT BOOK OVER.

Step 4: Spread it out

Aim for a reset every 6–8 weeks – this is how you prevent burnout. We are not about collapsing once and being so exhausted you can’t enjoy your time off; we are about restoring repeatedly.

Reflection: where you’ve been, and where you’re heading next

Before you book, take 5 minutes with these prompts:

• Where did I postpone rest last year, and what did it cost me?
• Where did I take time off while staying mentally on the job?
• When did I feel most energised and like myself?
• What do I want to stop sacrificing in 2026?
• What kind of leader do I become when I’m rested?

Now complete this sentence:

In 2026, I will honour my capacity by booking ________ now.

Write it down.

Then act on it today.

Here is the bottom line:

You don’t get extra credit for pushing through.
You don’t win a prize for carrying everything.
And leadership isn’t proven through exhaustion.

I have watched way too many women break themselves because they made work more important than themselves. Their health suffered, their relationships suffered and their sense of self suffered.

Book your holidays now, because I never want you to reach the Nth degree before you recognise that you need rest, recovery, and restoration. You don’t just need it, you deserve it.

Please take it – it’s part of your work contract.

I told you before Christmas: you are the fuel; your flame is powerful. Protect your fuel. Book your holidays.

Here are a few ideas!