It’s that time of the year again. Holidays have rolled in and people all over the world shut down their work laptops and take off on trips, to visit family, to unwind. And for a good reason.
After a big project or an extended period of working at an intense pace, it’s important to slow down and recalibrate yourself to a normal, more sustainable pace. During this holiday season, take some time to detach when you’re out of the office so you can fully re-charge. Reports suggest that employees who are better at detaching tend to have lower stress levels and are more productive in their personal and professional lives. Vacation and time away from work helps you stay healthy and productive — here are a few tips to help you detach while you’re out of the office:
1. Prep your calendar: Clearly block your Out of Office OOO time and schedule some time in the days leading up to your holiday to wrap up loose ends so that you can truly detach when out of the office.
2. Have a backup plan: Make sure your work is covered and that those covering you are prepped before you go. Don’t skimp on this step — a minimal investment upfront can pay huge dividends in your ability to detach! Chat with your manager if you need ideas to develop this, and come up with a plan of action if something truly urgent arises and you need to be reached (this should be rare!).
3. Set an OOO message: In your OOO auto-response, point people to whomever can answer questions in your absence. If you’re going to be gone for awhile, consider letting people know if you plan to read all of your mail or if they should resend messages with a special subject to ensure they get read (ex: “urgent” or “potatoes”). Here’s a few examples of some funny OOO messages.
4. Turn off work email on your phone while not at work: A study done by Google shows that people who can create a good work life balance are happier about their well-being than those who switch back and forth between the two. One of the small steps towards this is to turn off notifications from email and social media sites.
5. Relax and earn your vacation: A lot of people, especially workholics tend to feel guilty about being away from work for too long. The feeling interferes with your ability to have fun during your vacation. Next time you feel this, know that you have worked hard and earned your vacation. Right from CEOs to interns, everyone deserves and takes a break every now and then. There’s absolutely no need to ruin your vacation guilt tripping