I was in a bit of internal turmoil after coming back from a two week vacation.

The two weeks were a great chunk of time to disconnect and enjoy simply living life: not worrying about problems at work, upcoming deadlines, items on the to-do list. We thought the days would speed by, much like it does in our normal 5-day work weeks.

Instead, we found time is much more expansive when it’s not routinized. Halfway through the vacation on our way from Taiwan to Hawaii, it seemed unreal there was still another week left.

But come to an end, it did.

We did the necessary organizing and packing as we bemoaned coming back to work and to the warmest temperature of 30 degrees during winter.

We were just getting used to not having a set schedule or anywhere that we absolutely needed to be… and now we were on our way back to routine. We consoled ourselves, saying that it lasted a good while. We told ourselves we were ready to embrace the next thing and get moving on our goals.

But is the two week period truly the ideal chunk of time, or is it a “too weak” vacation?

What if the two week vacation is the start of possibilities not imagined yet? These were questions that occurred to me after I got back.

I used to think two weeks off at one time was definitely the golden length. While not easy to schedule out, I thought two weeks were what longer distance trips should be if you could do manage it. I’d only managed to have a solid two week trip in the past two years, having only planned one week trips internationally in previous years.

I began to challenge the old thought of separating “work” from “vacation.” What if they could be integrated?

Here’s the sobering yet freeing truth: your job really isn’t that important.

Additionally, when you’re gone for two weeks or more, other people at work figure out solutions by themselves. Imagine that, those urgent issues never coming to you in the beginning! Think about how many issues you wouldn’t have to deal with if you were gone for longer.

In the spirit of continuously improving my quality of life, it sure seems like the minimum length of time for a vacation is two weeks. I’m challenging myself to do much longer than two weeks and expand this concept into more of my lifestyle in the near future.

From some people, even one week off may not be considered possible.

It may be true to some extent, depending on your job description and industry.

However, I’m increasingly realizing for myself that each of us has more control over our work and play lives than we think we do. Perhaps we can dream bigger and take steps towards turning the dreams into reality.

What if you were traveling or living somewhere else for three months or more? What if you could still be realizing your goals while on “vacation”? What if there was no need for a return flight upon booking the initial flight? What if what you think is “vacation” becomes your way of life?

Interesting questions to ponder over upon my return and figure out how to make into reality. It goes without saying that I will be taking action around re-thinking the too weak vacation.