Each spring when I plan my summer vacation, I fantasize about two weeks away without work worries. As my departure approaches, I inevitably face scenarios that could make me anxious about going away.
Projects are in crucial development phases, key meetings crop up during the middle of my break, and a long to-do list emerges with items that have to be handled while I’m gone.
Despite the chaos that often swirls about my departure, I usually manage to relax completely while on vacation. In addition, I have little if any contact with my office while I’m gone. I can pull this off only because of preparation before I leave.
Planning for a smooth transition relieves me of the anxiety that being away would otherwise cause. If I didn’t invest this planning time, I would spend a portion of my vacation thinking about items that I forgot to address.
To make your vacation work-free and worry-free take these steps to prepare before you go.
-Divvy up responsibility. All decisions and responsibilities that usually fall to you should be reallocated while you’re gone. For example, you may designate one person to handle administrative issues and another as client manager. If you’re hiring, make sure someone keeps in touch with candidates and recruiters while you are vacationing so you don’t lose good hires.
-Manage the phones. Knowing that the people who answer your business phone are conveying the message that you desire is key to feeling comfortable. Tell anyone who answers the phone, for example, whether you want callers to know that you’re vacationing. Also, instruct people where to route calls that are for you and that need immediate attention.
-Designate a judgment caller. One aspect of being a business owner that is difficult to delegate is the major decision-making. Sometimes judgment calls need to be made about crises and client problems that require a decision when you’re out of touch. When I was in Turkey last year, I established my sister as the “go-to” person for these decisions. She knows my business and has good judgment, so I felt comfortable that she would make decisions I could live with.
-Call important contacts. Get in touch with customers at least a week before your vacation starts to let them know you will be going away. Notifying them ahead of time may prompt them to add tasks to your pre-departure to-do list, but this scenario is preferable to hearing about a large project the day before you leave or angering a client whom didn’t realize you’d be away.
-Take care of administrative details. Some of the easiest items to overlook when preparing for a vacation are the tasks that are managed by habit. These are the businessperson’s equivalent of watering the plants. The list includes items such as paying bills, sending weekly reports or shipments, and taking in the mail. Take care of these items before you leave or assign someone to do them for you.
-Don’t pass out your number. It’s important that you can be reached on vacation in the event of an emergency. Rather than passing out contact information to a slew of coworkers or clients, give it to one person and designate him or her as the one who decides if situations merit a phone call.
-Protect yourself. Avoid leaving a birdseed trail that leads burglars to the front door of your home office. Don’t let newspapers or mail pile up, make sure your voice mail message suggests that someone is home, and arrange for a house-sitter while you’re gone. Ask this person to turn lights on and off, to do a daily security walkthrough and to remove messages from your answering machine.
Despite the benefits of a work-free vacation, some people just can’t let go.
A home-based accountant I know recently returned from a weeklong trip to the Grand Canyon. She admitted that she had checked her voicemail daily and returned some client calls while she was away.
In hindsight, she regretted bringing work along on a trip that was supposed to help her rejuvenate. She came back feeling almost as stressed out as when she left.
I’ve heard similar accounts from other entrepreneurs who try to fit vacation time into their hectic schedules. Here are some tips that can help with another vacation challenge unplugging from the work world.
-Start right. Begin your vacation 100-percent work-free. For the first 48 hours, avoid calling the office or reviewing business-related papers, and stay away from television programs or newspapers that will make you think about work. This will allow the unwinding process to start.
-Consider making contact. After you’ve had a few days away, decide whether or not you want to make contact with your office. Doing so may help you continue on a path to relaxation, whereas forcing yourself to stay away might elevate stress by making you anxious about how things are operating in your absence. If you decide to check in, do so in the middle of your vacation, and leave the beginning and end work-free.
-Arrange for a call-in contact. Before you leave for your trip, ask someone whose judgment you trust to act as your point of contact during your vacation, should you decide to call in. Select a person who will be able to pinpoint business-critical items that need your attention.
-Eat well. Vacations replenish our minds, but they also provide a great opportunity to replenish our bodies. Give yourself a tune-up by forgoing stress producing food and drink such as caffeine, candy and alcohol. Instead, fill your stomach with vitamin-rich meals and plenty of water.
-Try something new. Look for opportunities to learn new skills while you are away. This will take your mind off of work issues by refocusing energy on other tasks. For example, you could learn to windsurf or rock climb or take a cooking class that focuses on your vacation spot’s regional cuisine.
-Pack only a small amount of work material. Keep the work-related items in your suitcase to a minimum. This may mean traveling without a laptop and leaving the latest copies of industry publications behind. When I vacation, the only work materials I take are those I can deal with effectively on the airplane.
Alice Bredin is author of the “Virtual Office Survival Handbook” (John Wiley & Sons) and a nationally syndicated columnist.
