Out of Office: How to Set Yourself Up for Success Before Your Next Vacation

Vacation is so close you can smell the saltwater or the fresh mountain air. Whether you’re a beach-goer or lake lover, the few weeks leading up to time off are equal parts hectic and exciting. You can envision yourself email-free and soaking up the sun for as long as possible.

But there’s nothing worse than coming back from a vacation to the mess you left yourself. Look out for your future self and set yourself up for success before you leave for your next trip. Here’s how.

Anticipate the Future

In the weeks leading up to your trip, start to consider all of the scenarios that could happen while you’re gone. You don’t want to feel chained to email but you don’t want work to suffer while you’re out, so thinking ahead is very beneficial.

Look at a calendar first to see what deadlines are looming and may fall while you’re out or just before and after. Then think about what issues could arise for in-progress projects or tasks. It goes without saying to complete what you can before you head out, but anticipating what could happen can help you, and others, plan ahead.

Put a Plan in Place

This could consist of many things. If your position requires a lot of collaboration, then you likely need to coordinate with co-workers for coverage of your tasks and projects while you’re out. If you’re more of a solo worker you still need to find coverage, but the onus falls more on you.

So, whatever the situation, start to plan, at least a week before your vacation. That way you know what you need to complete, what you can delegate, and you have time to train anyone on important tasks.

Then make sure it’s written down so not only can you reference it when you return from vacation-bliss, but anyone who needs to pick up various duties knows how to do so or who to contact.

Delegate the Important Things

As stated above, you’re going to need to delegate certain things to others. Yes, it can seem like more work to teach someone else how to do a particular part of your job or explain a process, but it will benefit you in the long run. Invest in showing someone else how to perform the more time-sensitive or vital aspects of your job so that you, and your boss, can feel more comfortable while you’re out. Plus, after you do it once you will likely only need to provide a refresher before your next trip.

Take a Breath

Most importantly, don’t stress too much about being gone. Everyone needs a vacation and you’re entitled to your days off!

Remember that work will still be there when you return. And when you take the proper steps to prepare your co-workers and your future self, that post-vacation bliss can last a little longer. So set your out of office message and start packing.