The sun is beginning to poke out from behind the clouds and the winter months are behind us. That can only mean one thing: your summer vacation is fast approaching!
Your mind is dancing at the thought of all the fun you will have away from the office. There is just one problem; you have a long list of tasks to do, not to mention other long-term projects that involve your teammates. You find yourself thinking about your upcoming trip and not work; and who wouldn’t with sun, sand or snow on the horizon? It is easy to let your mind wander at work, especially leading up to vacation, but this may result in a loss of productivity because you will have a harder time staying on task. You may also bring co-workers out of their focus by conversing about your upcoming trip.
We all find ourselves in this situation and there is a lot we can do to make sure we don’t interrupt others and also keep ourselves focused prior to going on vacation, which will not only benefit our teammates, but will enable us to leave for vacation with greater peace of mind.
1. Create a task list. Jot down all of the tasks you are currently working on, or ones that will hit shortly after your vacation, whether it’s in a Word document, in Outlook, or hand written on a piece of paper. This tool will help you stay organized and plan for your upcoming time away from the office.
2. Sort by priority. When is the actual task due? Give yourself a sense for which of the tasks are urgent and those that can be finished when you return from vacation. Sorting by due date will enable you to focus on the right projects.
3. Knock off little pieces of each task every day. Once your task list is created by urgency, this will be the time to plan out each day leading up to your vacation. The easiest and least stressful way to finish a long list of tasks is to do a little bit each day and avoid procrastination.
4. Once a task is completed, mark it as completed and reward yourself. Nothing feels better than finishing a task, especially when you stayed organized throughout the process. Once you complete each task, mark it as complete and give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.
Always remember that even if you are taking an upcoming vacation, it doesn’t mean your coworkers are. Your efforts to avoid distracting your teammates will be especially appreciated by your manager or supervisor. You will find that if you stay focused on completing your list of projects and keep from distracting others in your workplace before departing, you will not only set a good example for your peers, but you will be able to take full advantage of your time away from work for relaxation and rejuvenation. Not to mention that when you arrive back at your workplace after your vacation, you won’t feel stressed and behind on your work, but rather refreshed and prepared because you set yourself up for success prior to leaving!
