to-do list holidays

Its’ already mid-July, and if you are lucky you may be going on holidays in a few weeks. You are already dreaming of it in the meeting room. But you know that it is going to be hard to disconnect from work even when you are away: this is because you havent’ done these few steps to be sure to leave peacefully.

What about when you will come back? Do you want to find a thousand emails in your inbox that needed to be dealt with weeks ago? Or find out that you forgot to do something before leaving and having to do it in a hurry?

Here are a few tips to get organized and leaving on holidays with a peaceful mind.

1. Clean up your desk

You know that cleaning your desk is long overdue, now is the time to do it. First of all, sort all your papers, throw away whats’ not important and categorize everything you have left in 2 sections: those who need to be done before you leave and those who can wait until you come back.

If you have time, you can also reorganize your virtual desk: your computer. It is so much nicer to come back from a vacation knowing where everything is sorted than trying to remember where you put this or that document because you were in a hurry when you saved it.

2. Make a “special” to-do list for what you need to finish before your holidays

Now that you know what you have to absolutely finish before leaving, you can get organized. If you are working in an open space, go to an empty meeting room to have some quiet time to write your to-do list. Try to prioritize your tasks so you can have time to complete everything. Now is not the time to procrastinate! Every task you finish wont’ be in your mind when your’e at the beach (or anywhere but the meeting room!) in a few weeks.

If you have time, you can also set your to-do list in advance for your first week back. That way, you wont’ be stressed out before your first day back at work!

3. Have a meeting with a coworker who can cover for you

It is absolutely essential that your coworkers can cover for you when you are away, just in case. Of course this depends on your function within the company and whether or not you work alone. It can be very difficult for a company to manage someone who is away so make it possible for your colleagues to work without you. Just before leaving, tell them what you were working on and didnt’ have time to finish and if you need them to do something while you are away. Be sure to go through everything with them, otherwise they might call you during your vacation and you surely dont’ want that!

4. Set an automatic reply in your email saying you are on holidays

This is the very last thing you do before leaving the office on your last day. Everyone might not know you are out of the office so they might still send you emails while you are away. The automatic reply will tell them that you are unavailable. In the message, dont’ forget to include the dates of your return and the contact details of a coworker staying in the office so your clients can talk to someone in case of emergency.

You are all set to go now! Enjoy your holidays, and please try to really disconnect from your work while you rest and come back fresh for work!

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