Taking vacation is not always as carefree as it sounds. There will be years that you will have to pack up your swimsuit, your sunscreen, and your workload. A workload that should be well-planned and adapted to your vacation schedule. So, we will offer you some pieces of advice to help you pull through your summer expeditions without missing out on all the fun or leave unfinished business. So, let’s explore how you can organize your working vacation like a real pro.
Build your summer strategy
Our first point is one that requires discipline and organization. During the summer months, your strategy should be adjusted to your company’s target groups. Specifically, if you have a company that offers services and has a strong support center, you cannot close down everything and royally wave to your clients. Likewise, a freelancer with a variety of projects should prioritize what should be done before and after vacation. This way, you won’t drown under your endless task list. Pick the most important ones and finalize them before you leave. If something unexpected comes up last minute, just do the best you can.
In the case of marketing campaigns, schedule them carefully and monitor them for some time before you leave. When you’re off, have your personal assistant or a colleague brief you on their progress. All of this comes down to a structured strategy that can hold down the fort during the summer months.
Set your schedule and follow it
It’s important that you organize your summer plan to the last detail. While balancing work and play, you should set parameters. Find the common hours that you, your clients or colleagues can communicate. You shouldn’t focus entirely on work without setting any boundaries and get swallowed up. As Stephen King taught us “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
So, grab your agenda or your notebook and write down what you have to do and the time period you have available for it. Then, allocate (to you) specific working hours on the days you do work. This decision will decrease your anxiety but will also make you more productive and focused. Remember that if you’re part of a team, you could always ask for some help when you take your days off. Therefore, you can work the time you feel comfortable with and then delegate tasks to your assistant or colleagues. And this takes us to our next point…
Find the right people
It’s only natural that in a small team, there is no room for an endless vacation without any work interfering with your time at the beach. However, if you’re part of an agency with a bigger team, you could also leave behind some of your duties during your days off. Especially, if you’re a graphic designer or a marketing professional and you have coworkers in the same department then you’re in luck. We don’t mean that you will drop all the workload on their heads, but they will be able to take over some tasks during your absence.
However, the right people are not just your colleagues. You could be a freelancer working alone and have all the workload fall on you. Then, you can get a capable virtual assistant that can help you out with different tasks, don’t shy away. The bottom line is that you need an in-office contact person to notify you about important stuff or deal with the trivial ones. Take our word for it. It will be relieving for you.
Get your armor with
As a soldier carries his equipment for the battle so do you. You must pack all the things you need to work without problems. Will it be your laptop, paperwork or other tools that are essential to your profession. Please remember to take chargers, necessary cables and any kind of smaller device. This way, you can prevent possible distress and disrupt your workflow.
It’s only natural that you also have to take into consideration that your life depends on a steady Wi-Fi connection so be sure to check the accommodation you’ve booked. You will make business calls and work on your laptop. Things that don’t come easy with a dodgy connection. Another thing to keep in mind is that a working vacation with a lot of equipment also demands a certain kind of safety. Maybe a safe in the room or a storage room in the place you will stay can ease you during the hours that you’re away catching some sun. A secure connection will also keep your financial and work-related information away from danger.
Work harder before your vacations
You can always dodge the bullet of working hard during your holiday. The key to carefree days on the beach is to work in advance. Fill your agenda with the most important and time-consuming tasks. Then, effective teamwork can finish them having as a due date the end of July. Most of the time, August is a vacation month so save yourself from the trouble of taking a big workload with you. Moreover, concentrating most of your responsibilities before your summer vacation is wise. You are still active, and you can give your full attention at full capacity.
Choose the place of your dreams
We know that we’ve filled your head with musts and don’ts about your working vacation. However, you should always treat yourself even when the conditions are less than ideal. So, go ahead and pick a vacation place that will please you just by being there. The joy of waking up in an idyllic remote lodge or a luxurious resort will be your lifejacket. Of course, that place needs to tick all the boxes you need so that you can work undisturbed without complications. The right place can also fix your mood and attitude towards working during your summer getaway. Throw out of the window your negativity and make the best out of your vacation. Try not to complain, relax and sleep as much as possible.
Working on vacation is not the end of the world. If you make it through in one piece, you should take pride in your organizing skills and give yourself a pat on the back for the professionalism you’ve shown. Have a great summer and always stay positive.