Select
Your Need
10 Tips for a Stress-Free Vacation
Things Often Overlooked when Planning a Vacation
Sometimes it’s not easy to walk away from your computer – you’d miss it as much as you’d miss the dog, or kids (not necessarily in that order!). But, we all need to take a break and rejuvenate ourselves. Below are some tips to help plan that get-a-way.
- Call or e-mail your key contacts at least two weeks before leaving. Key contacts could be clients, partners, vendors etc. Create a vacation autoresponder announcing that you are on vacation. Identify the dates you will be away and identify an individual who can be contacted in your absence. If your clients need you to complete a project prior to your departure, two weeks' notice should be ample time to inform them of your plans and notify them if you will be able to accommodate their request(s) before embarking.
- Designate an in-charge - person. If you have planned your business properly, there are individuals you collaborate with on a regular basis and can handle important items while you are away.
- Designate a contact person for you. Along the same lines, you need to designate someone to reach you in cases of — and only in cases of — an emergency. This person has been entrusted with how to reach you. You want someone who knows when and when not to call.
- Make a list of your work priorities while you are gone. Besides designating the person in charge, you need to establish a list of what tasks and projects you want completed.
- Make a list of your own work priorities for when you return. This list allows you to take your mind off work while you are gone. What you need to do when you return is all mapped out. Confine this list to short-term tasks; those that need to be done and can get you back into the swing of things. Know that many unexpected things may come up while you are gone.
- Assign someone to handle your administrative tasks. By administrative tasks, I mean sorting through your snail mail, handling your phone messages, even answering your e-mail. Again, this has to be someone you trust. If you don't have any employees or virtual team partners, you might consider asking a friend. Even if all they do is go through your snail mail and put the priority items on top of the stack, that can help you get back into your work routine faster when you return.
- Pay important bills before you go.
- Use security smarts in disclosing your absence. On occasion, solo entrepreneurs announce in their telephone greeting that they are out of the country for three weeks. That is like saying, "If you want to break into my business, feel free to while I am gone." Be smarter than that. Tell callers that your business is closed for two weeks, or that you may be hard to reach over the next two weeks. Better yet, transfer your business lines to your virtual assistant or live answering service. They can sort through the calls and handle appropriately.
- Have your contact person or neighbors make periodic checks of your business (home). You can also tell the local police or sheriff's office that you'll be out and request that they swing by on occasion.
- Last but not least, don't overwork before you leave. Try to add more hours to your day in the weeks leading up to your vacation, to spread your preparations over more time. The last two days before you leave will no doubt be hectic anyway. But put yourself in a position where you don't have to pull any all-nighters.
Don't stress the small stuff. If you have a good handle on your business and a great relationship with your clients, it will survive your plunge into the Caribbean Ocean or some other exotic destination you have chosen. Oh, one more thing, start and end your time off on weekends, if necessary, to allow yourself these restful buffers. And, have a swig of that great tropical drink the beautiful islander just served – on me.
Sharon Williams
©Sharon Williams All Rights Reserved.
About the Author
Sharon Williams, MVA, PREVA, is president of The 24 Hour Secretary and provides administrative, secretarial, marketing and internet-based virtual support for successful but sometimes overwhelmed executives and entrepreneurs. Subscribe to Smart Business = Success, the free monthly ezine stocked with business tips for the busy professional. Contact Sharon by .
You have permission to reprint this article electronically or
in print, as long as the text and byline remain unedited. A courtesy copy
of your publication would be appreciated.
Link to 10 Tips for a Stress-Free Vacation
If you feel that this article, has been helpful to you and that it may also be beneficial to others, please consider adding it as a resource link on your website, Ezine, or blog!
10 Tips for a Stress-Free Vacation - Your company brand is more than just a slogan or logo. Discover the forgotten elements that make your company memorable.
