5 ways to beat holiday stress

Nearly leaving on holiday? Those last few days before your vacation starts can be quite stressful. Things need to be finished before you leave: colleagues need to be briefed about the follow up and there are still some assignments and appointments in your agenda that may need to be completed. Its a stressful period!

How can you make these last days of work go more smoothly. These top 5 tips will make sure that you prevent holiday stress before your well-earned vacation.

1. Block some extra hours in your agenda

During those last days before your holiday leave, it can feel as if your workload is building up. It could be convenient to block some extra hours during those last days, so you can plan and prepare for your holiday in peace. Don’t schedule important meetings right before you leave, rather plan them a few days after you return to work.

In general, people only start using an out of office message from the moment they’re actually on holiday, but if you start using it a day earlier, you’ll notice your e-mail inflow decrease.

2. Use a to-do list

Take the time to prepare your to-do list thoroughly and start with the most important tasks. Leave out less urgent matters or move them to the bottom of your list. This will give you some peace of mind. Make sure you tick off things you’ve already done and hand out a copy to your colleagues. By doing so, they will know which items they have to follow up with and they can plan out their own time.

3. Turn on your out of office message a day early

In general, people only put an out of office message from the moment they’re actually on holiday, but if you turn it on a day earlier, you’ll notice your e-mail inflow decreases. This will allow you to have some extra time to finish your to-do list.

4. Decide if you want to remain reachable during your holiday

Unfortunately, there are type of jobs in which you need to be reachable at all times, even when you’re on holiday. Of course, this will only be necessary in case of urgent matters. Tell your colleagues when and how you want to be contacted. Think about a certain time during the day and decide if you want to receive messages by phone or email.

5. Do not panic

Panicking won’t help you solve anything. In the end, it’s about your holiday. Good preparation and clear communication will do the trick. Your informed colleagues will know what to do in your absence, so just make sure to enjoy those well deserved days off!