Switch off from work going on holiday : the complete guide !

Everybody is waiting for it, throughout the year, and they finally are there : the summer holidays! Whether you decided to stay home or to travel, you have to be well organized if you really want to switch off from work. Keep in mind that your holidays should allow you to rest. Discover all our tips for going on holidays without any stress ! 

Prepare your departure a couple of weeks in advance 

You are working on so many files throughout the year that it is really important to plan how the work will be done when you are gone. What projects are the most important ? Who will take care of it while you are on holiday? You have to ask yourself those questions at least 2 or 3 weeks before your departure in order to have enough time to finalize the more important ones. Doing that, you will only have to work on the "non urgent" files when you will be back to work. This period need you to be very strict and organized : This last home straight will be hard but don't worry, you will see the end of the tunnel ! 

Delegate !

You know it : the company won't stop while you are on holidays ! You have to chose a trustworthy person who will be the spokenperson. Don't hesitate to delegate files to different people according to the way they would work on it. "Mr X will work on that particular file" or "Mrs Y will be the spokenperson for that particular supplier" ... You will get better results to fully enjoy your holidays.

Sort/order/tidy up

A week before you go on holidays, you need to sort and order your documents and clean your office. It's really important to anticipate your way back to work BEFORE your departure. Don't hesitate to throw out ! We accumulate files and some documents aren't topical anymore. A clean office rimes with an organized work !

Tell your colleagues 

When are you living ? Until what date ? Who's in charge during your holidays ? Telling your partners in person about your holidays is a polite way to properly organize your work when you will be absent. You can also reassure your colleagues : you will of course work on that problematic straight when you are back ! You also need to anticipate : Don't start working on difficult subject if you don't have time to finish it !

Prepare your out-of-office messages

Just a couple of days left and you will be in holidays : it's time to prepare your out-of-office messages. If you are traveling during your holidays, you have to know that 10% of british people weren't going on holiday during 2014 summer. You need to think about out-of-office messages telling the length of your holidays and the people to contact with his/her phone number and email. 

Brief your replacement

You're going today and it's time to tell all the informations your replacement could need : passwords, keys of your wardrobe, important informations about some files... You can also organize a weekly phone call with your replacement. If there is an emergency, tell him the day and the hour he can reach you. It will allow you to follow your work by far without  spoiling your holidays. Take some time to say goobye to the entire team and to check that each of them has all the informations he/she would need. 

... Enjoy your holidays !

Follow the instructions you set up and check your emails daily but don't hesitate to turn your phone off to fully enjoy your holidays ! Spend time with your family and friends, do sports, read, visit museums or whatever you love. Holidays is a time when you have to treat yourself and your close relations so respect the rules and clear your mind !