Don’t Let Work Spoil Your Vacation
Don’t Let Work Spoil Your Vacation – Follow 8 points
Many people suffer from a kind of 'separation anxiety' when they are away from the workplace and start feeling guilty because they have left the workload behind. Then there are others who are so used to their fast-paced workday that they actually find it difficult to de-stress and relax. As human beings, we are designed to handle stress only in short bursts, with ample recovery time to space it out. A vacation means it's now time to recover from the stress that your job brings to the table. If you take your work along, you are not going to feel rested, rejuvenated, and recharged. So here are 8 key tips on how to unplug, leave your work back at the workplace where it belongs, and get the most out of your vacation.
1. Plan for your vacation well in advance.
Always try to tie up the time-sensitive issues before you go on vacation. If half of your time off is going to be spent worrying about the big, fat pile of work sitting on your desk and waiting for you to return, you are never going to have a good time. If your work has been assigned to a co-worker in your absence, have a chat to brief them before you leave - so that others can do it as efficiently as you do and you won't feel stressed or worried about it. A good practise is to finish up as much as you can before you go on vacation. For instance, if you are a writer and have some deadlines looming, try and write as many pieces as possible before you go away. That way, you won't feel too stressed about the impending deadlines when you return.
2. Give your co-workers ample notice before starting your holidays.
In case you are the only one responsible for your job, it should be fine on this front. But that is rarely the case. More often than not, you are one of the cogs of a well-oiled machine and everyone is dependant on each other to get the job done. That is why you need to give your co-workers ample notice before going away. If you inform people well ahead of vacation time, they can approach you with all relevant questions, necessary to get the work done. It will also allow them to prepare their own work schedules in your absence. You can inform all your colleagues by sending an office-wide e-mail a week or two before you leave. Check things out with all your team-members and add a line to your e-mail signature to let people know when you will be away.
3. Establish a no-contact zone.
As we have said before, there is no point staying buried in your laptop or smartphone, tending to work-related matters, if you're on vacation. Speak to your co-workers, your boss, and your clients about your accessibility during your time-off. Make sure they are aware of the fact that you won't be checking your e-mail or SMS and you won't be able to tend to work matters while you're on vacation. That way, they won't have any unrealistic expectation.
4. Set up an informative out-of-office message.
An out-of-office message helps clients, bosses, and co-workers ascertain that you are on vacation and not just slacking off from answering e-mail. If you don't have this set up, they may try to call you on your cell phone while you're on vacation. Make sure that your message clearly states the specific period when you will be away, the date when you will be joining back, and which of your colleagues they should contact to get something done.
5. Unplug yourself.
A lot of us will find this extremely difficult to do, but your vacation will be stressful and hectic if you're constantly on the phone. Smartphones can be the boon and the bane of our life. But in this case, it can be a bane as it makes it difficult for you to cut yourself off from your routine and you slowly end up getting back into the work mode. But that is the last thing you want to do on your vacation. If you must keep your phone with you, put it on silent mode, so that you can check it as and when you feel like it. If you unplug yourself, you're more likely to feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
6. Take your work e-mail off your phone.
Even when you know that someone else is handling a project in your absence and the work is getting done, a work e-mail popping up when there is a crisis will see you get onto it as fast as possible. Your brain automatically kicks into work and problem-solving mode, even though it isn't your problem while you're on vacation. Keep your work e-mail disabled during the time when you're on vacation.
7. Give your contact information to just one colleague or superior.
There's nothing like it, if you can really pull this off. Many people are probably trying to reach you and they will not take the trouble to ascertain whether they are calling for a viable issue or not. Therefore, provide your contact details to just one colleague or a superior who will be able to sift the manageable from the 'red alerts.'
8. Think about your family.
Your family is looking forward to spending some quality time with you. Very often, our hectic work schedules don't leave us enough time to spend with our family. When you're on vacation, you need give them all your attention. They deserve it and so do you.
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