It’s summer here in the northern hemisphere, and that means vacation. The beach, the mountains, the pool, your backyard — here we come!
Of course, it’s not quite that easy if you work for yourself. In fact, taking a vacation when you’re self-employed can be downright exhausting. A lot has to be done in preparation for being out the office, even if it’s only for a few days.
Here’s a checklist to help you get ahead of the out-of-office chaos, so you can enjoy your time off and not worry about the mess you will be coming back to.
Give clients and colleagues prior notice that you will be away (the more warning the better).- Ask clients to send you any work that they have in the queue by a certain date.
- Remind clients to send you work per the point above, several times if necessary.
- Review what you have on your plate, commit to what you will complete and schedule out the rest.
- Get as much of your to-be-completed work done as far in advance as possible.
- Decide what, if any, work-related activities you will do while on vacation and plan what you need to bring accordingly.
- Line up a backup person, if necessary, and plan time to get them up to speed.
- Make sure your collaboration files for your team are updated and accessible by all.
- Plan your vacation communication (if you will be accessible at all, when/how you will check in, etc.).
- Pay any bills that will be due while you are away.
- Give yourself a day buffer between when you return home and when you will be accessible to clients.
- Set up your out-of-office voicemail and email responder.
It may seem like a lot to think about, but it’s worth it. Putting in a little time before you head to the beach will not only help you enjoy your time away even more, but it will be a little less painful when you come back.
What do you do to prepare for being out of the office?
Image credit: michasik
Written By:
