We asked our team to share their pre- and post-trip planning process. Even though the summer holiday season is over, we hope the following tips help you plan for any time away from the office.
Vacation Planning Best Practices
- Be Proactive. Contact clients and key stakeholders a few weeks ahead of time to let them know of your upcoming vacation schedule. This will give everyone an opportunity to address any project needs and plan accordingly.
- Status updates. If you are mid-project, or have direct reports, make it a point to meet with your team before leaving and within a day upon your return for status updates.
- Prioritize & Delegate. Create a step-by-step process of all pending projects. Prioritize for your team and clearly assign tasks that require a follow-up. Tools like Basecamp make it easy to keeps track of the communication and makes it easy to get caught up when you get back.
- OOO. Set your out of office response with the names and contact info of colleagues who will be supporting you while you are away. This alleviates frustration and any lag time for urgent needs.
- Inbox planning. Use Rules and Filters to manage your inbox while you are away. Unsubscribe from non-essentials newsletters and notifications or direct them to a specific folder.
- Minimize travel day stress. Pack your bags, print out travel itineraries and make sure you’re ready a few days prior to travel so your last working day isn’t affected by any pre travel stress.
- Plan your first day back to work before you leave so your expectations are set beforehand. Have your to-do list ready to go!
- Tidy your desk & desktop. Coming back to paper or digital clutter is no fun.
- Your body and mind need time to recharge. Trust your team to handle urgent issues while you are away.
- Have Fun!
Artisan Creative Team