Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose. \u00a0I am a speaker and author.\u00a0 I am an expert in time and project management.<\/p>\n
I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don\u2019t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.\u00a0 I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.<\/p>\n
At the end of the day, I give people peace of mind.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s question came from a busy professional interested in freeing some time and space to advance in his career.<\/p>\n
What are the first steps you should do after returning from summer vacation? Can you discuss the challenges of returning to work after summer vacation and offer some useful strategies to make the transition back to work easier. <\/i><\/p>\n
We are often bombarded with an outrageous amount of emails, activities, and questions when we return from an absence; whether it\u2019s a vacation, a business trip or an illness.\u00a0 \u00a0The best solution for \u201cplanned outages or absences\u201d it so actually plan ahead.\u00a0 Make sure you have well-trained representatives that can handle your regular activities in your stead.\u00a0 Make sure you have all your important procedures documented and published.\u00a0 Make sure you have your significant dealings completed prior to your leaving.\u00a0 Make sure you have your \u201csecond-in-command\u2019 well versed in things that may pop-up while you are away.\u00a0 Make sure your email-autoresponders, and voice messages are properly announcing your \u201cout-of-office\u201d intentions and your backup contact.<\/p>\n
I also recommend not giving anyone by your \u201cbackup contact\u201d \u2013 your out-of-office contact.\u00a0\u00a0 Allow your designated representative to determine if\/when there\u2019s a need to contact you (and no one else).\u00a0 All information should be flowing through this person while you are away.\u00a0 Don\u2019t sabotage his\/her job by allowing people to go around him\/her to get to you.<\/p>\n
By doing the above, you will have paved you way to an easier entry back into the workplace.<\/p>\n
Returning to work after summer vacation <\/b><\/p>\n
1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Move all your emails to a \u201cmisc\u201d folder and out of your inbox.\u00a0 The assumption is that everything has already been taken care of by your \u201csecond in command\u201d.\u00a0 Therefore, there is no need to review the past unless it is relevant to the future.\u00a0 If it is relevant to the future, it will come up again.\u00a0 If it comes up again, you still have the information in your misc folder \u2013 but you don\u2019t have to review it, unless it comes up again.<\/p>\n
2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Focus on things that are relevant for this week. \u00a0You want to be as productive as you can be, once you have returned to work.\u00a0 Therefore, don\u2019t get bogged down with reviewing things that were completely accomplished while you were away.\u00a0 \u00a0Many things that occurred will have no impact in the current items,\u00a0 and you will have plenty of time to review them LATER.\u00a0 Curiosity is the only reason to review these things now \u2013 but it\u2019s not the best way to hit the ground running after summer vacation.<\/p>\n
3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t agree to deliver anything of significance for the next 2 days \u2013 use that time to catch up.\u00a0 I normally add 2 additional days to my vacation return date on my voice mail and email autoresponders.\u00a0 This setup of the proper expectations that no one will receive anything from me in those two days.\u00a0 Setting the proper expectation is key to returning to the workplace with ease.<\/p>\n
4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Setup one-on-one meetings (via phone is fine) with each of your staff and managers within the first 2 days of returning to the office.\u00a0 Once again \u2013 only focus on the things that are relevant to the future, although a quick summary of the past is fine in these review meetings.\u00a0 Before ending each call, highlight any Action Items, Deadlines, and Owners on relevant projects.<\/p>\n
5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Return only the calls on items that are still relevant. Don\u2019t waste time on things that have passed.\u00a0 \u00a0You have successfully done your job to assign a \u201csecond in command\u201d and your second-in-command has done his\/her job.<\/p>\n
6)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Update your Individual Development Plans (IDP) \u00a0with your new goals. Review your Personal Business Commitments (PBC) to see if they are still accurate and up to date.\u00a0 Since you have scheduled this \u201ccatch-up\u201d time and have not committed to any significant deliveries in the first 2 days of your return, use this time to review your business commitment performance.\u00a0 This is a great time to make sure your individual development plans and business goals are still on track.<\/p>\n
7)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s also a good idea to review them before you go on vacation \u2013 to allow your subconscious to work on your next role, your next promotion and the steps you need to accomplish to achieve those goals.\u00a0\u00a0 This sets up your subconscious to work on these ideas while you are on vacation.\u00a0 When you return, you revisit your IDP and PBC to update them accordingly.<\/p>\n
In my Professional Development Tool online course and in my various coaching packages, we go over the IDP and PBC in more detail.\u00a0 If you would like to learn more about those services, setup a quick discovery call at https:\/\/www.timetrade.com\/book\/WFSFQ<\/a><\/p>\n The key is to have confidence in the team that you left in place to handle things while you were away.\u00a0 A highly effective professional makes sure things will run smoothly when they are away.<\/p>\n I know your situation is different. Why don\u2019t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward.\u00a0 To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.<\/p>\n