How to Take a Vacation Without Worrying About Work
The very idea of planning a vacation can be stressful. Aside from booking your trip, all the preparations you need to make to get your work behind you can seem overwhelming. But if you just think strategically about what you need to do, you can get rid of the stress and finally take a break from work.
This post was originally published in the Harvard Business Review .
Vacation is what cruise rollers also dream of. Ideally, you come back refreshed, charged and ready to go. But sometimes it is exactly the opposite. Who among us did not say at some point, usually the day before departure: “Trying to take a vacation is so stressful that it would be better not to go at all! “Sometimes stress on vacation is inevitable, but most of the time it can be dealt with if we are just more strategic. As the owner of a time coaching and training company, many of my clients tell me that after using the strategies below, they were able to take their first truly refreshing vacation in years.
Make a schedule ahead of time and set it in stone
One of the most important elements of reducing stress while on vacation is deciding in advance when you will take the day off. This allows you to save the time before and after your vacation from too many commitments. It also gives you the ability to make smart choices by putting together the details of your trip. Having time reduces stress to the point that one of my top travel planners needs at least three months’ advance notice.
Once you know you want to take a vacation, immediately mark those dates on your calendar as “out of the office.” It is best not to schedule any scheduled activities such as conference calls while traveling. Thus, the only job you can do while on vacation will be truly unexpected and urgent. Of course, you may have to check one or two things while you are away – life happens – but you should not be doing your normal work while away from work.
While it is tempting to have as many appointments as possible before and after your trip, you will achieve the best results by creating a buffer around your vacation. Set aside a few days before leaving to complete projects, take care of important emails, and attend any really urgent meetings that pop up. Reserve at least the first day you return to the office to return to work and clear your mailboxes. It’s the same as unpacking your suitcases and getting your house back in order instead of being half unpacked for days or weeks in a row.
Don’t structure your trip too much
How you structure your trip also has a significant impact on how refreshed you feel when you return. I recommend taking at least half a day to work before leaving to give yourself some headroom for any final packing details or errands. It is worth spending the extra money on travel within a reasonable timeframe when you initially purchase your airline tickets. Having to get up at 3 a.m. to catch your flight will not make you feel good to travel, and not getting enough sleep makes you more likely to get sick. And since you have planned everything in advance, you will be able to find more affordable flights.
When planning your classes, think not only about what you want to see or do, but also what kind of experience you want . The fact that this is your first time in Paris does not mean that you have to visit all the museums on the map. You can feel much happier – and more rested – by spending time in a few important places and then allowing yourself the luxury of sitting in a café for a few hours or taking a leisurely stroll.
If you are traveling with children , focus on simplicity. Especially at a younger age, they are quite happy that billiards can be played, and that they are not smashed. Plan for things to take longer than you expect, and relax with the knowledge that you are on vacation, so that’s okay.
Start early and take your time
If you’re planning a long vacation, start packing – or at least running on business – early. I find that setting aside time for the weekend before the last week of work drastically reduces the number of last minute trips to the pharmacy or dry cleaning. Also, coordinate with your coworkers so that everyone has clear expectations about what you will and won’t do while you are out of the office. This can mean giving others the authority to make decisions on certain projects, or letting them know that in certain situations they should contact you.
Use Out of Office message in your email and phone wisely. I want to declare that I will not be in the office until date X and that I will return messages as soon as possible after that time. This makes me expect that I will not respond while on vacation, and it may also take a few days after I return to the office to respond. Plus, if you start your automatic out of office response the day before your actual departure, it will be easier for you to get out of the office on time as you can focus on the most important things during the latter. day at the office.
Make a re-entry plan
To get the most out of your vacation, make a good re-entry plan. This can include arriving home a day earlier – or at least earlier – so you have time to unpack, do your laundry, and get a good night’s sleep. It also gives you time to come up with a plan for the day ahead so you have a clear idea of how to get closer to your first day at the office. Finally, instead of focusing on the fact that you are no longer on vacation , think about how grateful you are for the time you had on vacation . Gratitude breeds joy that can carry you through the initial shock of returning to “real life.”
When you’re planning your next vacation, these strategies can help make it truly refreshing.
Going on vacation shouldn’t tire you at work | Harvard Business Review