Smart ways to unplug before your vacation

NEW YORK (AP):

The days leading up to a holiday can feel just as stressful as the work you’re hoping to escape. Emails pile up, deadlines loom, and the fear of returning to an overflowing inbox can make it hard to relax. But with a little planning, you can set yourself up for a smoother departure – and an easier re-entry – when you’re back.

Once you have your vacation dates set, let teammates know when you plan to be off. Make sure your time off is booked on your office’s electronic calendar, which can reduce the number of work requests you receive while you’re out, said Amy Biedenstein, senior vice president at human resources software and services company Dayforce.

For many people, getting ready for vacation means working late the night before to finish time-sensitive tasks that can’t wait until they’re back. Try starting earlier. Assessing what needs to get done a week in advance may help reduce last-minute cramming.

You can also block off the afternoon before you leave to tie up loose ends and your first day back in the office to catch up, said time management and productivity coach Alexis Haselberger. Set the automatic replies on your email, Slack and other apps to say you’re not checking messages and will respond the week of your return instead of your first day back, Haselberger advised.

If it’s not possible to be completely out of touch, schedule times to check in on work and let co-workers know what those times will be. You also can share your preferred way to be contacted in the event of an emergency.

When Biedenstein’s children were little, she sometimes used evenings to work when she had to during family vacations. The time on task made her mind churn to the point she had trouble sleeping. Biedenstein shifted to waking up early and getting in an hour of work before breakfast.

“Once the family was up and moving, that was my cue that work is over and now it’s family time,” she said.

LEAVING WORK STARTS WITH YOUR PHONE

Amanda Olsen, a reporter for the Times Review Newsgroup on Eastern Long Island, doesn’t mind answering occasional questions from work when she is taking a staycation to get things done around the house.

When she and her family take backpacking and multi-day canoeing trips in the Adirondacks, Olsen turns off her cellphone’s alerts and notifications. To further make the most of the time outdoors, she sometimes camps in locations with no phone reception.

“Part of that is to disconnect more thoroughly from the world and work,” she said.

Some people recommend leaving work phones behind entirely during vacations. Others temporarily delete work apps such as Slack or email from their phones, although they may need help from tech support to reinstall the apps when they return.

If being unreachable is not an option, set a time to check work emails and notifications once in the morning, and then leave the phone behind for the rest of the day.

TIME OFF STARTS AT THE TOP

Pressure to perform turns work into an obsession for some people, especially if they’re concerned about getting a promotion, Bester said. One coping strategy is a “quiet vacation” — travelling to a vacation destination discreetly but checking email regularly and doing some amount of work.

“You know you need to take a vacation, you know your body desperately needs the rest, but you still might keep up appearances ... or there’s a culture which expects you to always be on,” Bester said.

One way to improve the chances of vacationing without interruptions is to put a structured plan in place to hand off projects to colleagues, he said. Leaders can encourage those steps.

A manager or executive who immediately answers calls and emails, or checks in with employees instead of unplugging while on vacation, sends the message that the people working under them should do the same.

THE BENEFITS OF A PAUSE

Taking a clear break to recharge, refocus and take your mind off the daily stresses of the workplace is extremely healthy, Bester said.

“Just to zone out, go into your sort-of nothing box or do something that’s pleasurable, you know, spending time with loved ones,” he said. “All of those things have major benefits from a psychological well-being perspective.