This article was published by Micha Kaufman, Co-founder and CEO of Fiverr® on the Forbes blog.
I get it. You’re dreaming of lying in a hammock, on a beach, margarita in hand, and no demanding clients in sight. But let’s be honest, no matter how zealous you are about turning on the “Out of Office” response, most of you end up powering on your laptop or smartphone and checking work emails anyway. And once you start clicking on your boss’s, clients’, or employees’ messages, an avalanche of relaxation interruptions is sure to pour down on your precious vacation.
This may be especially true for those of us running our own businesses. Being your own boss means more flexibility but it also means no formal “vacation days.” Doing what you love is incredibly fulfilling but there’s also no hard line between work and play. Clients don’t care where you are. If something suddenly comes up on a project, they’re going to track you down or be furious if you’re MIA. And good luck planning for your much-needed break when there’s no way to forecast what demand will be like months ahead.
As a serial entrepreneur I know this all too well. I can’t tell you how many family snowboarding trips have been canceled or cut short by an office emergency. On one occasion, I actually spent most of my vacation in my hotel room working instead of on the slopes.
Rather than ignore the working-on-vacation reality until it’s too late, here are four tips for managing disruptions so you can relax, rejuvenate, and keep your business humming along — from the comfort of your ocean-side hammock.
Tip 1: Work like a dog before you take off
It may seem obvious that you need to get ahead of your workload before you fly the coop. But it’s so hard to do that it’s worth reminding yourself. A week or two before your vacation, do you constantly Google GOOGL -0.27% the weather in your destination, search for recommended restaurants on TripAdvisor TRIP -10.02%, and generally daydream every split second about how awesome your trip’s going to be? Gotcha!
Don’t feel guilty. That’s exactly what everyone does. But if you really want to kick back with as few work-related worries as possible, you must resist the siren song of your balmy tropical island, exhilarating wilderness camping trip, glorious-green golfing paradise — until you’ve actually clocked the hell out. Instead, as much as humanly possible, prep your work for the days you’ll be away. It’s painful, but it’s worth it.
Tip 2: Communicate an “emergency only” policy
Tell absolutely everyone — clients, bosses, colleagues, your mother — that you’ll be out of the loop and only available for emergencies. Let them know that an “emergency” consists of something that if not solved before your return, will cause dire consequences (like someone losing a limb or a whole lot of money). Ask them to try every other avenue to solve the emergency (and then try them again) before emailing you.
It’s tempting to not say anything in the hopes that they’ll get the message from your Out of Office signature or just forget you exist that week. The harsh reality: that’s never going to happen. Be upfront and ultra-specific. It helps.
Tip 3: Check your emails — but only once a day
Did you think I was going to tell you to unplug completely? More power to you if you can, but that’s just not the way our 24/7 global world of business runs. So check those pesky emails. Just do it in a really disciplined way. Set aside a half hour each day. Do it outside of your headquarters’ business hours to minimize the chance of an immediate response. Jump in and jump out as quickly as possible. And — most importantly — only answer the most crucial messages. Ignore the rest with impunity. Why? Because the sender failed to follow the explicit instructions. See Tip #2.
Tip 4: Don’t give out your travel info
No need to go overboard in your efforts to be a responsible vacation-taker. Keep those contact details to yourself. You don’t want to be paged in the middle of your siesta. Jealously guard the name of your hotel and maybe even keep the specific location on the down low. Funnel all points of contact through email and only email.
So, that’s it. Prep thoroughly, communicate specifically, check email once a day, and maintain the mystery. Simple steps to help you reach vacation nirvana, where the only pressing question is: “Salt or no salt?”
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