Last time we visited Puerto Rico (two years ago), I made it a point to unplug for the most part. You can read about why I wanted to unplug and how I unplugged here. This vacation, I simply could not. I worked remotely and so, I had work that had to be done. I did try my best to not let my work interfere with family time, though.
Here’s how I was able to work remotely and still be present on our vacation:
1. I got as much work done in advance as I could.
Since I knew I would be working remotely, I planned accordingly. I did as much work as I could in advance. When I did have to do work, I did most of it after my husband and kids were asleep. It meant a couple late nights for me but that was worth it to me. Regarding smaller tasks, I took a few minutes each day to do them (since I planned most ahead it didn’t take much time during the day).
2. I limited my work to my full-time job.
I prefer unplugging on family vacations. Therefore, I wanted to limit my phone time as much as possible. In order to do this, I took a break from and paused my blog / Instagram sponsored work. That being said, I did photograph some (non-sponsored) content but it was casually done during our days, not photo shoots or anything, and photos I’d normally take if I wasn’t a content creator.
3. I limited my photo-taking.
Of course, I took many photos of the boys. But as I previously alluded to, I actually took less than I thought I would. You’d probably be surprised. I shot most of my content for Instagram and my blog the first day (which is why I’ll be in the same rainbow swimsuit in most photos). After the first day, I did not take many photos of myself. I focused on the kids and on family photos but even then, I tried putting my phone away after I completed my work tasks. Do I wish I took more photos? Slightly. Do I regret not taking more? No because it means I was more present rather than behind the lens during the memory-making moments.
