1. Delegate any upcoming tasks that you are not going to be able to complete. Be sure to discuss in person, not through email, what needs to happen for the tasks to be completed successfully. Be sure to take care of any necessary preparations, so no one can say, "well I can't do that because he never gave me the information I need."
2. Create a new voice message on your phone that says when you will return to the office, and leave an alternate contact for people to call if they really need something.
3. Set up an auto response for your email, that way everyone who sends you an email will quickly learn that you are away from your desk for however many days. This comes across much better than having to wait well over twenty-four hours for a response.
4. Make sure to process as much paperwork and as many emails and phone calls as you can before you leave. This will ensure that you return from your trip refreshed, rather than the opposite because you were unable to relax just thinking about all you have left to do at work. When you get back to the office, you'll be ready for action!
5. Set people up to handle things without you, versus, "I'll have my phone whenever you need me." You are going on a well-deserved trip to revive and enjoy life away from work, so tell them to simply pretend you are dead!
6. David Allen, author of, Getting Things Done, says we should integrate the motivation and attitude that we have the day before we leave for vacation, into our daily work lives. I think this is an excellent concept and couldn't agree more!
No comments:
Post a Comment