4 Ways To Get Organized At Work Before Going On Vacation

Who doesn't look forward to taking a vacation from work? Whether you decide to go to the beach, explore a new city or take a staycation, vacation time is the perfect time to become stress free, recharge and relax.

While taking a vacation is an amazing time, returning to work post-vacation can be stressful and overwhelming. Luckily post-vacation stress can be avoided by getting organized at work pre-vacation.

To help you get ready, we've put together 4 recommendations for how you can get organized at work before going on vacation.

Create a Pre-Vacation and Post-Vacation Checklist

Going on vacation is an exciting time but completing your projects before leaving can be stressful. Fortunately, stress can be avoided by prioritizing your tasks.

About two weeks before you are about to leave for vacation, we suggest you make a list in your notebook of tasks and projects that you have on your plate. When you are making this list, write down the due dates that you have for each task. Divide your list into two: a vacation checklist of tasks that need to be completed before leaving for vacation and a post-vacation checklist of tasks you will need to complete when you return from vacation.

Creating two separate lists will help you focus on what you need to complete before you leave, and it will help you get back into the swing of things upon your return from vacation.

Organize your Desk

Think about it, you just took time off to mentally relax and refresh, so returning to a disorganized and messy desk can be overwhelming and stressful, ruining the mental refresh your vacation just gave you. So, before you go on vacation we suggest to organize and declutter your workspace, your post-vacation self will thank you!

Get Covered

Taking time off from work is an important time in achieving work-life balance. So, if you are debating taking a vacation because you're nervous about leaving your work behind, don't be!

Luckily, you have amazing co-workers who can support you when you take your vacation. Before you leave, remember to ask a fellow employee, or employees if you have a lot of work, to cover you when you are away.

During this time, you will need to inform your co-workers about everything they need to do when you are away. By having employees cover your work while you are away, you won't feel as overwhelmed when you return from vacation. Just remember to have a post-vacation meeting where they can catch you up on anything that you may have missed.

Create an Automatic Out-Of-Office Email Reply

If it's your last day of work before going on vacation and you have not created an automatic out-of-office email reply, now is the time to do it. While your boss and co-workers who are covering for you know that you're on vacation, other co-workers and customers may not. That's why creating an automatic email reply is an important step that needs to be completed before going on vacation.

You may be wondering, what should I include in my automatic email reply? Well, it is important to include the dates that you will be away for and who to contact while you're away. By creating an out-of-office email reply, it will prevent people from getting upset with you when you don't provide a prompt response.

Are you Ready for a Vacation?

You may not realize it, but it is important to get organized at work before going on vacation. So, next time you're about to take a vacation, remember to use the following tips above to keep your vacation buzz upon your return.