5 December 2022

Hey Luv, Happy Monday!

The days preceding a vacation are torturous. With deadlines looming, your attention is still straying toward a pina colada in your hand, the sun on your face, the fresh smell of seawater, and, of course, not working, which is far more appealing. It’s not every day that you get a vacation!

Unfortunately, life goes on while you wait for your vacation to begin. So, naturally, you try your hardest to complete all your tasks on time. However, if work hinders you from looking forward to the next few weeks, here are a few valuable tips for rounding up your work for the most relaxing vacation.

1) Keep yourself busy, and prioritize your work:
If you know you’re more likely to daydream about your vacation or lose motivation as you get closer to leaving work, do the most important tasks first when your motivation is at its peak. As a by-product of taking on big jobs first, you are helping keep your mind focused and busy. Then you can leave the office without worrying that it will be a) waiting for you when you return or b) added to your already-busy coworker’s workload, making them loathe you for a little while.

2) Don’t (completely) Relax:
Keep your schedule manageable, no matter how tired you are or how much you need to get your mind back. Taking extended lunches because you’re excited about a vacation or viewing images of where you’re going will make staying focused and getting work done even more difficult.

However, maintaining your regular schedule will help you maintain your motivation. You may really want this vacation, but your job still requires you to stay focused. By putting in that extra dedication, you are making it much better for the weeks when you are not physically or mentally present at work.

3) Prepare for your Return To Work:
Thinking about returning to work before you’ve even left sounds like you’re torturing yourself. It’s always challenging to return to work after a stress-free time off. But then there are all those e-mails to go through, meetings to attend and work to complete.
You can make it easier on yourself by preparing ahead of time. What are you able to delegate? Who is authorized to accept e-mails on your behalf? What can you get a head start on?

You’ll get so many “Welcome Backs” that you’ll have to pretend to like them (because honestly, who enjoys returning on the first day?) – So, give yourself a heartfelt ‘Welcome Back’ too.

4) Take short breaks:
You can take a breather and go for a walk if your motivation starts to fade. On the other hand, you may discover some sparks of motivation on your walk. Moving around has been shown to improve brain function.

If walking around your office isn’t your thing, drink a glass of water, eat a healthy snack, or browse social media or your phone’s game apps. A short break should put you in the mood to do some work.

5) Discuss your trip
It’s polite to let your clients know you’ll be out of the office for a few weeks; in the process, they’ll usually be very curious about where you’re going or what you’ll get up to, so tell them! However, limit yourself to only thinking about your trip at this time. So, you can enjoy your escape while still being polite to your coworkers and keeping your head on the game.

Click here if you agree with these tips and I’d love for you to share yours with me.

Talk soon,

Jeanetta Cardine

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