The rigours of a 24/7 grind have worn on you.
You can’t remember the last time you woke up feeling refreshed, ready for the day— before your first cup of coffee stabilizes your senses. You rarely get to unwind. Perhaps a Friday evening dinner at a local eatery, but you’re usually too tired to truly indulge.
There’s something about evenings and weekends for entrepreneurs. They can never truly unplug, which is why they’re as successful as they are: always on, and top of mind for most in their community. And when you’re committed to this lifestyle, it becomes nearly impossible to unwind.
A vacation is needed. Your feet need to reacquaint themselves with sand, and you need to sleep on a bed with an impossibly high thread count, in a luxurious room, away from the hustle and bustle of your daily life. Great meals, great company, amazing cocktails, catching up on a few books that you haven’t made the time to read- there’s so much for you to do with this time. But first…….
A few things that you should do before you leave, to maximize your ability to unplug, so that you’re organized when you return:
- create rules in your inbox. Use keywords to group emails and compile them to specific folders. It’s likely that you’ll come back to an impossibly high number of emails, but that doesn’t mean that your inbox needs to be a mess. Also- filter the emails that you cannot wait to read, adding rules to priority senders and subject matter or keywords.
- Let your network know you’re away. Out Of Office messages are great. As are new voicemail greetings, but post to LinkedIn as well, so that people know you’re not around and they’ll be less suspect about not receiving immediate contact with you.
- Automate your home. Do you have an alarm system? You should. You’ve already told Facebook, LinkedIn, and the barista at your favourite coffee shop that you’re going on a holiday for the next while. Unless you want The Wet Bandits to show up in a ubiquitous white van, violating and vandalizing your home, and compromising the sanctity of your domicile, you should protect it. You can monitor your home while away, giving peace of mind that mail and parcels are safe, that your neighbor’s kid is watering your plants— as promised, and that all is in order. You can also monitor the temperature from your phone, so you know you’re minimizing your energy waste, and in winter months– that the pipes haven’t burst.
- Make arrangements for mail to be held at a post office, or have a neighbor or family member pick it up. Your information is sensitive. Don’t give a porch pirate the opportunity to steal it.
- Pre-plan your trip. Before you go, connect with and build rapport with a concierge. Don’t use your time away like you would back home, booking restaurants and excursions, when you could be catching up on some light reading or perhaps spending more time at the spa.
- Book an extra day off when you return. Better yet, return on a weekend. There’s nothing worst than coming back from a holiday, and having to get back to the office the very next day.
Vacations are a welcomed escape from the grind. We need them. They’re essential for us to recharge and clear our minds. Make sure you make the most of yours.
By @MarkPavelich CEO The Mark Consulting & Marketing
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