The last days before leaving on holidays are an opportunity to increase your productivity. If you make the most out of it. As I mention in the post “When procrastination strikes”, one of the problems that can adversely affect productivity is a lack of pressure and sense of urgency. But when there are few days left for you to leave on holidays, this pressure is created which you may take advantage of.
So, what can you do in order to leave work behind and go on holidays with your mind clear?
Review your agenda and pending issues
Reserve some time to review your agenda for the next one or two months. Get clear about the pending commitments before you leave on holidays and those awaiting you on your return. In parallel, write down everything that needs preparation, information to request from others and set deadlines for it.
Review your ongoing projects and pending tasks. Decide what has to get done before leaving and schedule what may wait for after you come back. It might be a good idea to already request information you require from others in order to advance in a project. That way, that person or those persons have time to organise themselves and prepare the required data, instead of having to do it in a shorter deadline if you request it upon your return. Besides, you will come back from your holidays having all the information available to advance with your project without delay.
Get down to work
Once you have scheduled the tasks for before and after your holidays, work one after the other on the topics you have to get done before leaving. You will see that, knowing clearly which issues to solve, it is easier to be productive. You will easily work on one task after the other checking them off your list.
Reserve the last day for contingencies and clean-up
Insofar as possible, try to schedule your tasks so that you do not have to work on important projects and issues on the last day. That way you will have time for loose ends, urgencies and last-minute incidents.
In the daily grind we often do not take enough time for it. So, I suggest you take a while for cleaning up. File or destroy papers that have piled up. Check your email inbox and eliminate or file emails which do not require any more action. Move the emails with pending tasks or awaiting something from another person to the corresponding folders. Thus, you will leave your desk and inbox clean as a whistle. And you will see how the last day goes by in a flash.
Besides, this cleaning job has a double benefit. Want it or not, having e-mails and papers unclassified and piling up occupies part of your mind. So, taking a decision on each of them and sorting them, will help you clear your head. On the other hand, it is not the same to return from holidays to a desk and e-mail inbox overflowing with topics and old documents than only having to get up to date with the recent stuff that has arrived in the last days or weeks.
Delegate pending issues
If you have a colleague who covers for you to a certain extent during your holidays, review with him or her the issues that may come up during your absence and what to do to solve them. Also indicate the topics that may arise but can wait for your return. If necessary, let other colleagues or departments know until when you will be away and who to turn to during your absence. Inform your boss how you have organised the issues that may come up.
Activate the out-of-office message
Configure the automatic out-of-office message indicating until when you are going to be on holidays and who to turn to in case of urgent issues which may not wait until your return. That way, the person writing you has a contact person and you gain peace of mind.
Think that the person writing may wonder why you do not reply if he or she does not receive a message indicating that you are out of office. Maybe a few days go by and then they might try to reach you on the phone. Only to find out you are on holidays. So they might feel upset, especially if the topic is of some urgency or importance. Therefore remember to activate the out-of-office message even if just to be polite.
If you work with Outlook you can configure a more formal message for senders not belonging to your company and a briefer one for your work colleagues.
Also, I recommend you write a standard message. This is part of the image your company projects to the exterior so it is not the place to be creative or funny. It might seem obvious but I mention it because I have encountered all types of messages.
Divert the landline
Depending on how these issues are organised in your company, forward your landline to the mailbox, a colleague covering for you or the switchboard. Same as in the case of the out-of-office message, you will avoid that somebody calling you may wonder why you never answer the phone.
Turn off the company mobile phone
Unless you have signed an availability clause, the moment has come to switch off your company phone, if you have one. If you have left everything organised and delegated, you should have a clear conscience. As a CEO and former boss of mine used to say “Few things are really that urgent. The company will not burn down so easily while I am away.” So, disconnect your phone and your mind from work.
Recap
- Review your agenda, pending projects and issues
- Get down to work on what you have to finish
- Resolve loose ends and last-minute contingencies and clean up
- Delegate pending issues and give instructions to whom covers for you
- Activate the out-of-office message
- Divert the landline to the mailbox, switchboard or corresponding colleague
- Turn off the company mobile phone
- Enjoy your holidays!
I wish that you enjoy your well-deserved holidays and return with recharged batteries.
4 responses
Another great article, Dorit. Thanks for the tips. Happy holidays! x x
Glad you think they’re useful. Happy holidays to you, too, Louisa!
Very good tips there. My main takeaway is to leave the last day for contingencies,
I usually have a jam packed last day which makes it a very stressful day and I often don’t finish what I intended to clear.
Thank you for your comment Amanda. Yes, the last day can be crazy if all kinds of issues pile up. So it is better to try and have everything finished and organised before and then only solve last-minute contingencies.