What To Do After A Vacation
It’s summer, which is the most common time for employees and small business owners alike to take vacations. If you have kids, they are off of school and the warm weather makes traveling easier and almost any destination more accessible. When you return from vacation, you may feel like you have a lot to catch up on. Don’t become overwhelmed. Here are some things to keep in mind for when you return from a vacation. If you’re the business owner, share them with your employee team so they feel more at ease and apply them as well.
The process begins before you leave. The week or a couple of weeks before a planned vacation, prepare by clearing up urgent tasks then. Of course, you’ll take care of tasks that must be done before you leave but look ahead for deadlines that will occur shortly after you return. You don’t want to have to scramble to complete a project the day you come back. For unplanned breaks such as an illness or family emergency, delegate any tasks with upcoming deadlines.
Next, plan to play catch up for a day or two both at work and at home. You may want to have an extra day at home to get over your jetlag and do your laundry. When you come back to work, don’t schedule an important meeting for the first day or two. Instead, use this time to catch up on the email backlog. As a business owner, you may want to tell clients you’ll be away for a day or two longer than you are so you can catch up without phone calls or unexpected requests.
You also want to make a to-do list. Prioritize what needs to be done and when by taking ten minutes to write them down. This will also ensure you don’t forget anything.
Finally, bring back your good habits. You may find yourself talking too much or getting distracted, so work on getting back into your normal workflow. You might think of changes you can make to improve your business schedule overall. Make it happen!