Time Off or Time On?

What used to be referred to as work-life balance has now merged into a technology enabled “worklife”.  Staying connected simultaneously provides freedom to work without location as a limitation and an expectation of nearly always being available to your organization. Even for those of us who truly enjoy the work we do and don’t mind spending extra time serving others, occasionally unplugging form your work setting is essential in maintaining that positive feeling about the work you do.

So if you find yourself planning some time off, how do you prepare yourself so that it doesn’t feel like time on?

Consider these five quick tips:

ID The Top Texter:

• Text messages can be an especially difficult thing to avoid because they are meant to be read immediately
• A text message can take you from relaxation to stress in a moment so you will want to leave the work texts at work when you are on vacation
• Take a look through your text messages to find out who are the people within your organization that have text messaging as a preferred form of communication
• Make sure that you notify them (perhaps via text) that you are going to be out of the office and if they need anything from you; they should contact you via e-mail so that the message does not get lost while you are away
• If you are a part of any routine group text communication, make sure that the group knows in advance when you are departing and when you will return

Put Your Notifications on Notice:

• Work e-mail connected to our mobile phone is both a necessity and (if we are being honest) a distraction when we find ourselves with little to do after work hours.
• One simple strategy is to turn off your notifications during the time that you are away. This simple and small adjustment can do wonders in reducing the anxious feeling in seeing that number grow each day you are away
• Another strategy is to simply move your work e-mail app to the last page of your mobile devices this way you reduce the temptation to “check in” and see what is happening at work
• If you use social media for work, jot a quick note in your bio or pin a Tweet letting people know you are unplugging and encourage them to do the same when the time comes

Enter The VIP Section:

• Identify one of two people in your organization that have permission to call you or text you while you are away
• This way you have the security in knowing if something significant takes place that you would want to know, you have someone who will give you a thoughtful, measured update
• Creating a gatekeeper (like a bouncer) will make sure you only hear what is truly critical

Master Productive Procrastination:

• If you find yourself craving the dopamine rush that comes along with completing productive tasks – create a project for yourself to complete with your vacation’s end as a deadline
• This could be a non-fiction book, a new concept that you want to better understand or a blog you have been meaning to start

Leave it in the Parking Lot:

• As work related ideas come to mind while you are away, keep a notebook or a running e-mail to yourself (on your personal e-mail) – the key is to quickly get it out of you mind and capture it so you don’t stress about trying to remember it

What about you?  What strategies do you use to stay unplugged while you are out of the office?  Leave your suggestions in the comments section below.

Visit thyrone.com where you can read past blog posts and we can connect on LinkedIn and other media.  Follow me on Twitter @thyrone and if you are in the Columbus, OH area @careercolumbus.