5 Simple Tricks to Beating Post-Vacation Stress

Choosing the Right Proxy

When the time comes to step away from the office, choosing a suitable proxy is crucial. This decision is about entrusting someone with the continuity of your work and, by extension, your professional reputation. It’s like picking your emergency contact; you want someone who won’t panic when the “real work” calls.

We’re not going to tell you how to find the right person. You probably already have someone in mind. But just in case, this person should be familiar with your work and have strong decision-making abilities. The ideal proxy understands your role well enough to make informed decisions in your absence and can handle unexpected situations effectively. They’re also able to maintain your reputation for you while you’re away. And they aren’t going to be calling you up every two days while you’re out.

Clear Communication

Once you’ve chosen your proxy, make it a priority to schedule a sit-down where you can review the tasks at hand. This time is invaluable for discussing daily duties, upcoming deadlines, and the finer points of projects in progress. Use this chance to address any questions.

Supplementing this conversation with written instructions is a wise move. By providing a document that outlines tasks and other important information with bullet points and step-by-step instructions, your proxy will have a reference to turn to if they’re ever in doubt. This is also a perfect opportunity to act as a mentor and allow your proxy to gain confidence and take on more responsibility (if applicable).

2. Attend to High-Profile Items Before Leaving

Prioritization Is Key

Kind of a no-brainer, but you could skip this step during all the excitement and preparations (it happens to the best of us). It’s crucial to resolve high-profile tasks before you head off on vacation. Evaluate each one carefully and adjust your priorities accordingly. Identify those with the highest impact or those that are time-sensitive. Focus on completing them first. 

If specific tasks require more time than you have before your vacation, consider delegating them to the aforementioned trusted team member/s. 

This will also keep you from wasting even a moment of your vacation stressing over important work you know isn’t getting done.

Ensuring Continuity

Start by breaking down each ongoing project into manageable parts. Assign tasks based on each team member’s strengths and availability, and make sure everyone knows who to turn to for decisions in your absence. 

Additionally, consider implementing regular check-ins for your team with a designated leader who can oversee the project’s continuation. The key is to provide a forum for addressing any challenges that may come up and celebrating milestones achieved. 

3. Set Up Email Filters and Automate Responses

The Importance of Email Management

Managing your inbox effectively will significantly reduce stress during and after vacation. A key strategy is to set up an automated out-of-office reply providing the name of an alternative contact. It’s like a spell. With just a few words, you can vanish from your inbox and reappear only when you’re good and ready. 

Setting up auto-replies acknowledges the receipt of client emails and provides an estimated timeframe for a response. Meanwhile, automating the forwarding of critical emails to a proxy or assistant can ensure that urgent matters are addressed in your absence. 

Upon your return, and only when you return (don’t be that person who checks emails on vacation), should you start skimming through your inbox to prioritize urgent emails. Employing email management tools can also help categorize more important emails for when you’re back. 

Tools and Techniques

For CPAs and accounting professionals, using email filters and having separate folders for different clients, urgent queries, or internal communications can be incredibly stress-reducing. Additionally, creating rules that mark emails from key clients as important can help identify relevant messages.

Besides, by setting up junk filters, you can automatically sift out spam emails and keep your inbox cleaner. Blacklisting is another tool that helps by blocking emails from known spammers or unwanted senders, ensuring that your inbox is reserved for significant communications.

4. Communicate Your Absence

Internal Notification

Communication management is key; letting your colleagues and clients know about your upcoming vacation is a professional courtesy that ensures smooth operations while you’re away. Be proactive and share your leave dates as early as possible. This early notice gives everyone enough time to plan around your absence. It allows managers to shuffle tasks and reassign any critical duties you won’t be around to handle. 

External Communication

Similarly, communicating your absence to clients is crucial. You reinforce trust by proactively informing them about when you’ll be away and directing them to someone who can offer immediate help if needed. Inform them of your return date and assure them their needs will be handled while you’re recharging. This will already let them know who to speak to, and it will make it easier for them to respect your boundaries since they’ll have multiple contact alternatives.

5. Prepare a Catch-Up Plan

Outline Your Catch-Up Strategy

Before leaving, you should plan your strategy for catching up on work upon your return. You can either create a list of tasks and priorities that you will tackle when you’re back or have your proxy build the list for you while you’re away and provide it once you’re back. 

Additionally, consider blocking off time in your calendar specifically to catch up. This dedicated time should be free from meetings or new assignments, allowing you to concentrate fully on the tasks. Communicate this plan with your team and anyone else who depends on your work. Everyone’s human, and everyone knows it takes a little time to get back up to speed from your time away.