Last week I worked with a client who will be on vacation this week. She’ll be at the beach with her family — and her Blackberry.  We talked a little bit about her plans to manage the amount of work she does while on vacation.  Her habit is to check e-mail once in the morning and then again late afternoon.  She does not take her Blackberry out with her during the day so she is not tempted to check it more often.

What’s your vacation workload management strategy?  I’m of the opinion that there is no right answer, only one that is right for you. Some people have no problem escaping the grip of email - if you are one of them this post is not for you!

Some ideas for those who do struggle:

1. Use my client’s approach - or some variation on the theme. Perhaps you can live with checking email only once a day. Then, try to skip a day…

2. Delete unimportant messages that you’ll never read or respond to. Don’t save them, thinking that when you get back you will magically have more time. Trust me, you won’t. And returning to an overflowing inbox is one of the fastest ways to lose the “vacation feeling”!

3. Forward freely ─ to others on your team with whom you have previously agreed will cover for you. After all, you’ll do the same for them while they’re away.

4. Respond only to the most pressing matters. The others can wait until you get back.

What other ways have you found to allow yourself the time and space to unwind?

TAGS: business communication, Communication Skills, coping skills, simplifying