Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tackle post-vacation blues before the vacation begins
editor
Nothing can put a damper on a good vacation vibe as the Sunday night anxiety that often darkens the last night of a break before you slide back into your work routine. But there are some things you can do to soften a rough re-entry. You're doing double the work, usually, to be able to leave for a vacation, so you may as well add a few things to the list that will make life a little bit easier upon your return.
Caroline Potter has a few good ideas on Yahoo! HotJobs. She notes that one third of workers in a survey by The Creative Group said they dread returning to work after a vacation because of "the work awaiting their return." To reduce that pile of work, you can
- Ask someone else to step up. Preferably, someone junior to you who is looking to take on more responsibility and wants to prove she can handle more tasks. If there's an intern in the office this summer, see if you can allocate some of his or her time to take care of your necessary tasks.
- Let as many people as possible know you'll be away. If you spread the word early enough, you can head off any must-do's that will need to be done during or after your vacation.
- Leave your contact info. Before you say, "What!?! this is my vacation!" this is only in case an issue that you think may come up while you are away does arise. It's better to take or make a few calls for an hour one day on your vacation than to return to a semi-crisis. That said, make it very clear what you should and should not be contacted about, and don't leave your contact info with everyone.
Once you've put some systems in place, let it go and enjoy. You need a break. Everyone does. And the ability to disconnect completely for awhile is really important if you want to return refreshed and recharged. If it helps, you can also check your email the night before heading back to the office. For some, checking email before returning to the office helps alleviate some end-of-break anxiety. You'll know what you need to tackle right away, and whom you'll need to respond to first before you take a sip of your morning coffee.
Related: work, vacation, prepare, break
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Posted by VegasGal06 Sat Nov 22, 2008 5:54pm PST
Clean your desk and work area. It may sound silly, but I feel so much better walking into a neat office...rather than coming into one w/ all of my leftover work and mess from before my vacay.
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Posted by Frankie Sun Nov 23, 2008 8:28pm PST
I try to take vacation time immediately before or after a holiday at work like thanksgiving, labor day or memorial day so when I get back to the office it's only for a short week. I also check e-mail and messages at least once during vacation.
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Posted by First L Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:56am PST
I also make sure that my apartment and especially my bedroom are neat and tidy before leaving on vacation, including making up my bed with fresh sheets, etc. So nice to come home to a soft, neatly made bed after a long trip and before heading out to that first day back at the office.
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Posted by Always amazed by the news Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:07pm PDT
I find it very helpful to leave a list (for myself) of the projects I am working on, so I can completely let go of projects while I am on vacation.
Also, I leave a short list of easy-to-do start up projects to get me going when I return. This helps me to feel I have accomplished something useful within my first day or two back in the office, instead of simply feeling overwhelmed by catching up on email and phone messages.
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