212: Prepare for Vacation Time Out of the Office

Vacation time is so important. We know there are a myriad of health benefits that come from taking time away from work. I also know how anxiety producing it can be to worry about your team or projects while you're away or stress over returning to an overflowing inbox and build-up of tasks, which can negate some of the health benefits and enjoyment of your time off. So what can you do to make your vacation time as rejuvenating as possible?
Today's episode is about preparing to be out for vacation. I walk through 5 approaches to consider to help you prepare to be out of the office and make your time away and re-entry as smooth as possible.
The full episode guide includes an overview of these principles plus tips for communicating tasks and responsibilities effectively to your team members so that there's no confusion. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community or purchase the full guide at www.themodernmanager.com/shop.  
 
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Read the related blog article: How to Effectively Prepare Yourself and Your Team for Vacation Time
  
Key Takeaways:

Taking vacations provides essential health benefits. Prepare well to minimize worrying about your team/work while away. 
Create a shared vacation calendar to coordinate time off, except for holiday times, to ensure multiple people aren’t out at the same time. 
Prep at least two weeks ahead of time so you can get organized and ensure everyone knows their responsibilities. Consult prior to-do lists to keep track of expected tasks. 
Document processes for tasks while doing them rather than by memory. Record the screen while narrating to ensure you’ve included all essential and accurate information.  
Consider what you’ll do ahead of time, what you’ll delay, what you’ll hand off, and what you’ll do while out.
Determine how much you want staff to be able to contact you while out of the office and via what tools. 
Consider which tasks might be a growth opportunity for certain colleagues. Make sure people are on board and confident with their new temporary roles. 
When returning to work, don’t try to do everything on Day 1. Schedule follow-up meetings and block time on your to ease back in.
Ask staff to prepare a document recapping key activities, decisions, and takeaways from while you were gone. 

mamie@mamieks.com