5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Holiday

By Anastasia Warren

Holidays come, and holidays go. Often, they go by too fast, they are highly anticipated, and they are at times, more stressful than they are enjoyable. Time off is important, but getting the most out of it is not always an easy task.

Set yourself up for sucess this next holiday. Follow these tips.

1. Write a to-do list.

It's the day before your long weekend. You're scrambling to finish up your most prioritized tasks for the week before you head out for 3 days of supposed relaxation. "How am I going to get it all done? The first day back in is going to be madness." Variations of these thoughts run through your head as you imagine your unread emails piling up on top of your existing projects.

So how do you combat this? Take ten minutes at the end of your work day prior to your vacation to write down your priorities for the following week. Writing it out will help you to feel more in control and organized, not leaving your next work day a complete mystery.

2. Turn off your notifications.

Many of us have synced our work email to our mobile devices. Helpful, efficient, and beneficial at times, this also causes a major hindrance when you are trying to reboot during your time off. Staying connected to our work on our vacations can help us to feel more on top of it and in control which can actually provide a better peace of mind, but my suggestion is to, at the very least, turn off your notifications. You will be able to see the unread emails and connect when you feel the need, but your phone won't be constantly buzzing as you catch up on that book you've been trying to read for months.

3. Disconnect.

Scary, I know. I encourage you to disconnect for a decent amount of time, but I understand the reality of the ever-changing workplace today. Set a time for yourself to disconnect completely. No phone, no email, no work. Maybe that's the whole weekend, maybe it's two hours on Saturday night, just be sure to practice it for at least part of your vacation, you won't regret it.

4. Schedule time.

The reality is, we all need to work. If you have a project or client that needs your attention over your holiday, that's okay. Schedule time in to work on it, and do not think about it outside of that set time. You are giving it your attention whilst also taking care of number one.

5. Realize that it's going to be okay.

And now, it's the night before the first day back in the office. Your mind is racing, your unread emails have reached a seemingly impossible number. You can't sleep in anticipation.

Realize that it's going to be okay. Plan on getting to work half an hour early to sort through your emails, go through your to-do list from the week before, and set your week up for ultimate time management and produtivity. You're going to get to everything, my guess is that you always do.