5 Tips for a Stress-Free Vacation

Posted by: Kristen Callahan

Taking a vacation can be a stressful ordeal for any business owner or employee: Before: The days before leaving you may be scrambling to finish projects or tie up loose ends. During: While on vacation you may be constantly checking your work email and voicemail. After: Once you return home you will have to play catch-up on what you missed.

The good news is that it doesn't have to be like this! With the right timing, scheduling, and planning you can have a successful, stress-free vacation.

 

1. Notify and Designate. 

Springing a vacation on your boss or partner will only add to your (and their) stress level. Give your co-workers and important clients timely notice on the dates you will be out the office. Make sure to leave them the contact information of a partner or co-worker while you are away. Designate essential projects to a trusted staff member. Assign one person to contact you while you are on vacation - for emergencies only! Don't forget to edit your Aptela Smart Find Me List before you leave for vacation. You may want to reroute calls to a colleague instead of to your cell phone. To watch a step-by-step video on how to edit your Aptela Find Me list, click here. (Check out this article for additional tips.)

2. Prioritize and Set Up.

Create a To-Do list of important things you will need to take care of upon your return to the office. This will help you leave the office feeling more organized. Deal with any unresolved issues or tasks with co-workers and/or clients. Lastly, set up an automated out-of-office email and voicemail so clients don't think you are ignoring them. (Similar tips can be found here.)

 

3. Be Consistent.

Before you leave, decide whether or not you will be checking email, voicemail, etc. Let your partners (and/or clients) know what you decide. If you do decide to check your email, allocate a time limit (say, 30 minutes each day) to deal with issues. By setting a time limit, you can attend to the most important matters, and everything else can wait. (Click here for more tips.)

 

4. Relax.

Trust that you have left your company in good hands - whether it's a business partner or co-worker. If there really is an emergency, remember that you already designated someone to notify you, so there is no need to constantly be checking emails.

 

5. Plan and Focus.

When you return from vacation, avoid coming back on Sunday. By arriving on Friday or Saturday, you will have a day or two to adjust before heading back to the office. The first day back at work, focus on going through the email and voicemail that was sent to you while you were away. If you ignore these things, you may end up swamped later in the week! (For more info click here.)