I once overheard a business owner say that he felt more productive
when he took a vacation, though not for the reasons one might expect.
He explained that he worked in a whirlwind just before the vacation to
make sure everything was taken care of before he left. Then, when he
returned, he had to work even harder to catch up with all the things he
missed while he was away! He then jokingly suggested that perhaps he
should take a vacation every week.

Are you prepared to take a vacation? As we enter the holiday season
this is a critical productivity question to consider. While many people
vacation is a nice, relaxing break from routine, for others vacation is
extremely stressful and is more a nightmare than a “dream come true.”

Consider the following action steps to help make your next vacation time a blessing instead of a curse:

1. Block out the dates well in advance and commit to the date.
   I have worked with many executives who either schedule their vacation
   tentatively or, after scheduling the time, allow themselves to ‘bump’
   that time off. Commit to the calendar in writing and commit yourself in
   action that the time you have scheduled is not subject to change.
2. Schedule “power-down” time for just before the vacation.
   Avoid the last-minute rush. Block out a sufficient number of hours a
   day or two before you leave to allow time to “power-down” your work.
   Avoid scheduling appointments the day before you leave. Instead,
   schedule time to process and prepare so you can put everything in order
   before you go.
3. Schedule “power-up” time for just after the vacation.
   Similar to the last principle, do not schedule appointments to occur
   the day after you come back from vacation. Rather, allow yourself
   enough time to get back up to speed, to catch-up on missed email and
   missed voicemail messages. By budgeting this time in your calendar,
   before you leave, you will feel more able to leave work at work while
   you are enjoying your vacation.
4. Find a home to gather your thoughts during vacation.
   While you are on vacation you will likely find yourself thinking of
   solutions to work problems that existed before you left. Be prepared to
   avoid distraction by having a place to gather these thoughts for future
   review. Carry a notebook with you or use a voice-to-email program such
   as ReQall. When a work-related
   thought comes to mind, quickly capture it and then forget about it.
   When you return from your vacation use a portion of the “power-up” time
   you scheduled to go through that list of ideas you gathered during
   vacation.

Posted in: Preparation, Productivity, Stress Reduction