Avoid the Vacation Boomerang Effect

Have you ever taken a wonderful vacation, then at the end of your first work day back regretted ever having gone?  This is what I call “Vacation Boomerang Effect”.  It isn’t just vacations either.  Business travel can be a double whammy because the trip itself generally generates more work so you find that you’re in a pit you may never dig out of when you return.

Here are some things you can do to help minimize the vacation boomerang effect.  I’d love to hear your tips too, in the comments.

1) Be packed and ready to go (as much as possible) a full day before departure.

This way, you’ll be in a good position to handle all of the last minute emergencies that ALWAYS happen right before you leave.  You’ll be in a great position to handle everything with poise when you already know you have enough clean underwear already packed.

2) Clean your desk.

If you leave a clean desk, the only things waiting for you will be the things people have left for you to deal with.  You won’t have to filter through the mess that was there before you left to decide what needs to be dealt with first.  Even better, leave a specific “inbox” location and ask that people leave things in that inbox rather than scattered on your desktop so you can have a clear desk, and a clear head, when you return.  You can pull things out and deal with with them one at a time from the inbox.

3) Complete routine tasks before you leave.

Starting several days before you leave on vacation, start completing or rescheduling routine tasks that you would normally do during the time you’re away including first full day you’re scheduled to be back.  Any customers with pending projects should be notified that you’re planning to leave so that they have the opportunity to make decisions and wrap things up before you leave or at the very least know who to deal with while you’re gone.

Completing the routine tasks even for the day you plan to return allows you to have a full day of just dealing with what came up while you were gone.

4) Try to keep up on emails while you’re gone.

If you have web based access to your email (and if you don’t, you should really think about changing that) check in periodically and delete what needs to be deleted, answer what you can answer quickly and in just a few words (even if it’s just “I’m out of the country right now, can we touch base when I return”) and file what you must action on your return in a folder specifically designated for such emails.  You can name it “Upon Return” or something like that.  That way, you aren’t spending half of your first day back just trying to get through your email inbox just trying to figure out what needs attention.  You’ll feel less overwhelmed and it will leave more time to take care of other things that may have come up while you were gone.

5) The Home Front

Decide and have laid out what you’ll wear to work on your first day back.  If you have kids, do the same for them.  Have the clothes clean so you won’t encounter the “Mom/Dad, I don’t have any clean socks!” on that first morning back.  Also, decide what you’ll have for dinner that first evening back and have it ready to go.

One of my favorite things is to have my cleaning lady come the day after I return.  (Especially when I’m the only one traveling and my husband and kids have been home without me.)

Your goal is to plan to glide through that first day so that you can deal with all of the unexpected stuff that you know is going to happen while you were gone.  This way, when your next opportunity to take a getaway comes up, you’ll jump at the chance!