Year-end is the time when a lot of working individuals are taking some time off from their working routine. However, most of the time, increased workload can hinder your enjoyment during vacation. So then, how do you manage your time so that you can enjoy your time during the holidays without having to worry about work? On this week's journal, we will explain a few tips to manage your time and workload so you can enjoy your deserved time off after working hard all-year-round. Read on!
1. Focus on work you have at hand
When you have tasks lining up at hand, sort them into a list that you need to finish up before you take a leave. This way, you can focus on the works that are necessary to be done before your vacation and not scattered towards other things that actually can wait until you return. Also, set aside time and location where you can work more effectively to get these tasks done.
2. Prioritize your schedule
Like stated on the previous point, it's also important to prioritize your work by a degree of urgency. Most of the time, it's stressful to pack everything in one go. Not to mention that you also have to prepare for your upcoming trip. Therefore, arrange your schedule accordingly and try to lesser your load by the time you're nearing departure date, so that you can start to chill before vacation. Don't bring your work with you on holiday, as it defies the point of getting off work. However, you can incorporate minor work things, like catching up on report reading or other small tasks. Remember that it's excellent if you can wrap everything up before you take some time off, but remind yourself not to ruin your mood, deplete your energy, and increase your stress level pre-holiday.
3. Delegate the remaining work
For things you can't really handle during your holiday, it's good to hand over some of your work to colleagues. However, make sure they are well-informed about the tasks that you are about to give to them, as well as handling inquiries that you need to personally handle. Therefore, to avoid confusion, try to leave as much information as you can about where projects have been left and think about what tasks someone might have to follow up with while you’re gone.
Nowadays, technology may help ease the burden of remote work. However, you may still need to differentiate between time during holidays and work. You can set aside some time when really needed or let it wait until you are back in the office. It's all a matter of priority call.
4. Set e-mail notice
In order to avoid work email disruptions during your vacation, don't forget to set an autoreply message on your email that states the duration of time you will be out office and when you can be contacted again. If you have ongoing engagements with work colleagues or clients during the time you're taking leave, you can also take an extra mile and inform them at least one week before your vacation. This way, you are able to accommodate their requests before you have to go, as well as giving you a peace of mind during your time off.
5. Prepare post-vacation checklist
In order to further ease your burden of getting post-holiday blues, you can also start earlier to plan what sort of things you need to get done once you are back in the office. Allow ample time for you to finish up work pre-holiday, and then move on to post-holiday checklist planning. This way, you can immediately know the things you need to do after coming back from a vacation, as well as reducing stress of juggling a lot of things at one go.
