Prep at Work for Your Vacation

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Taking Time Off

Vacations don’t happen often enough, and when they do come around, it’s easy to bring work along with you. In an effort to relax and recharge, complete these four tasks before you leave. That way you can focus on family, friends, and fun.

Leave a Custom Voicemail Message

Switching the voicemail on a cell phone only takes a couple minutes and it’s even easier on your office landline. This will prevent you from getting a ton of calls from the same few people. Make sure to state how long you will be gone and who they should contact in your absence.

Use Auto-Response E-mail

With e-mail, depending on how much you want to unplug, it might be a good idea to list your personal e-mail to be used in event of pressing situations. Most of us can check our work e-mails remotely, so this might seem unnecessary, but it will weed out people who truly need your attention from people who are just impatient. The extra step of having to send a new message to your personal e-mail will deter people from bugging you unnecessarily.

Block Time

Be super-efficient throughout the week leading up to your departure. Make sure to inform all concerned parties. Lead members of your team in the right direction. Consider having them carry out some of the tasks they will have to cover in your absence while you are still in the office, so you don’t have to interrupt your R&R to give directions to a frustrated co-worker.

Set Clear Expectations

When everybody knows exactly what they need to do, then you minimize the possibility something might go wrong. That means laying out black and white tasks that need to be completed and processes that need to be maintained.


Once you leave the office, actually leave. There have been numerous studies that all conclusively prove that vacations replenish employees both mentally and physically. “The impact that taking a vacation has on one’s mental health is profound,” said Francine Lederer, a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, “Most people have better life perspective and are more motivated to achieve their goals after a vacation.” So prep before you leave and unplug while you’re away so you can come back and hit the ground running.

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