It’s summer, and our thoughts turn towards vacation! While most of us would like to take the whole summer off and kick around with the kids, the reality is that we are all trying to juggle work obligations with vacation dreams.
Here are a couple of ways I juggle work demands with vacation travel:
* Plan Early
It may seem ridiculous to start thinking about summer when the snow is still falling, but that’s what you have to do, especially if you plan to send your kids to summer camp. We review the local camp’s brochure the moment it arrives and lock down our schedule within a week or two. That way, we’re sure to get the sessions we want, and it puts me first in line to request my two weeks during the summer.
* Set Boundaries
Establish with your office and yourself how much you will connect with work during vacation. Will you be checking your e-mail everyday or will you be completely disconnected?
In my case, I find that I can best preserve my mental health if I take two weeks off (the first week to wind down and the second week to actually relax) with little to no contact with the office. Since I’ve made this my normal summer routine, our staff and clients are informed of my absence, as well as my intention to ignore anything work-related, well ahead of time.
* Schedule When You Connect
While I’d like to say that I’m always successful at disconnecting completely, the truth is that sometimes I have to help out back at the office while on vacation. In those cases, I connect with the office (check voicemail, e-mail, do work) in the morning when the kids are still asleep (it helps that our kids sleep late) and before the day’s adventure begins, or at other available down times. I communicate this schedule to my office, so they know when they can (and can’t) expect me to respond.
* Let Your Technology Help
For me, the hardest part about disconnecting is that piece of technology I carry in my pocket - my iPhone! With instant access to e-mail and hours of riding in the car during summer roadtrips, it would be easy to stay connected even when I don’t want to be. To reduce the temptation to “peek” at my e-mail, I change the settings on my phone to turn off polling, meaning it doesn’t pick up my e-mail.
I also take my laptop with me everywhere because it allows me to check in at the office, if needed, and to organize our family vacation photos during the trip.
* Divide and Conquer
In September, we are planning on visiting Erin at her new home in Rochester, New York. I also discovered that the annual ABA Marketing Conference, which I was planning on attending, starts Sunday of the same weekend. Rather than rescheduling our visit, I’ll start my business trip from Rochester, and my husband will drive the family home.
Through many travel sites you can book a “multi-city” trip (in my case, Rochester to Minneapolis; Minneapolis to Boston). I will just have to remember to pack two bags - one for our weekend of fun and one for my business trip.
* Mix Business and Pleasure
It’s certainly not a new idea to suggest you can bring the family along on a business trip; it’s just so much easier in the summer! So whether you are traveling to Washington, DC, or San Francisco, CA, consider extending your visit and bringing the family.
How do you balance work and vacation?
