Taking a holiday is essential to recharge your batteries, but it’s crucial to do so without feeling exhausted. Here are a few tips to minimise stress before you leave and when you return.
Avoid illness at the start of your holiday
Do you know what it’s like to fall ill at the start of a holiday? An inexplicable phenomenon that exasperates us, but which (perhaps) has a name: noradrenaline.
This neurotransmitter helps us maintain our energy levels and boost our immune system. When we rest, its production decreases, making us more vulnerable to infection.
To prevent this, it’s important to maintain a work balance and plan regular rest periods. Sometimes it’s better to take more frequent mini-vacations rather than just one long break.
Canadian university research shows that this reduces anticipatory stress.
Moreover, short getaways can offer just as many benefits as long holidays.
Some organisational psychologists also recommend setting aside the weekends before holidays to rest, so that you’re in top form on the big day. Many people think they have to work at a frenetic pace before and after their holidays.
So it’s important not to get carried away before the fateful date you’ve been waiting for… or you’ll risk disrupting your health and your holidays!
Maintain a certain flexibility
It can be tempting to want to maximise every minute before your holiday. You may have planned ahead, but last-minute requests and emergencies often arise just before you leave.
That’s why it’s a good idea to keep around 20% of your schedule free for unforeseen and notorious background tasks, even before you go on holiday.
This will avoid the notorious D-2 rushes that leave you with (not at all) peace of mind.
Choosing the right time to leave
During the summer, avoid taking on deliverables so as not to accumulate delays linked to other people’s holidays and so as not to encroach on your own. While it’s not always possible to put certain activities on hold, carefully planning your projects will help you organise your holidays more effectively.
Furthermore, it’s crucial to identify critical deadlines, busy periods and important planned events. Ideally, avoid scheduling deliverables a few days before your departure or the week of your return.
Ensuring succession
If you want to leave with peace of mind, it’s best to appoint a colleague to take over from you. Working in pairs on certain issues is sometimes difficult, but having someone who knows the essentials of your business can be very useful.
Two weeks before departure, bring your teams together to review current issues, allocate tasks and inform stakeholders of the contacts to be made in the absence of key people.
Establish clear rules
Before you leave, it’s also a good idea to define the rules for managing emails and emergencies.
The question of total disconnection is often complex for managers. So to make the most of your holidays, you can ask your colleagues to contact you by phone in an emergency, and define in advance what constitutes an emergency. Finally, some managers can’t disconnect completely, but can schedule specific times to be contactable.
A smooth transition before and after
Scheduling transition days before and after holidays, including the Friday before departure and the Monday after return, can be beneficial. This gives you a chance to finalise matters and start again slowly. Preparing a list of tasks to be done on your return helps you get back on track more easily and reduces stress.