Let’s Talk About Taking Time Off.

My friend is going on vacation soon, and she sent me the following text:

"My biggest fear is nothing will be done at work and my life will be a nightmare next week."

I asked if she wanted to vent, or if she wanted advice. She chose advice.

Here's what I told her -

This is normal. Of course some things will be left undone. If everything got taken care of, they probably wouldn’t need you in the first place.

• Focus on a couple of things that you can do to make your return easier. Maybe it’s getting some extra invoices together now, calling a few people to set things up to schedule further in advance, etc. The important thing is to ask yourself the appropriate questions and then to take action.

• Set clear expectations with everyone about how “available” you will be. Set them up for success when you’re gone. Consider what might go wrong and communicate with them ahead to prevent extra stress for you and them.

• Finally, when returning to the office, consider how you can make the transition easier. Maybe it’s not realistic to do certain tasks that first day back. What could be rearranged so that it’s easier for you?

Look, everyone needs time away. Don't convince yourself it's not worth it before you've even left. Plan ahead, and trust that everything will be okay, because it will be.