How I stopped working on holiday
Readtime: 4 minutes
Surprisingly, the first step is deciding whether you actually want to work on holiday or not.
Some people prefer to keep on top of things, particularly email, while they’re away.
I was talking with the CFO of a major financial services company recently, and that was his preferred approach.
And this is actually most people’s default because they haven’t considered a realistic alternative.
It’s also probably your current “plan”.
That’s because it takes some effort to properly plan so that you don’t have to work while on holiday.
And planning beforehand isn’t for everyone.
So, you have a choice:
Plan before your holiday so you won’t have to work, or
Plan to work on your holiday.
If you’d prefer not to work while you’re away, this newsletter is for you.
And I’ll also cover what to do if you really do need to work on holiday.
Here’s how to do it.
1. Tell people
In the weeks before you leave, let your teams and clients (internal and external) know about your upcoming holiday.
Tell them that you won’t be working or checking email but that you are going to plan with them in advance.
This immediately sets you apart from nearly everyone else.
2. Ongoing work
Review the status of ongoing work with your teams and clients, and make “if / then” type decisions on potential issues.
Delegate responsibilities to your team members and empower them to make decisions in your absence.
Agree on the type of things that they should contact you for. (Most things should not fall into this category.)
Tell them that if they’re unsure whether to contact you then they should not contact you. Give them the confidence to make that decision.
3. Meetings you’ll miss
Don’t just decline meetings for while you are on holiday.
Tell the meeting organiser that you won’t be able to make it and ask them whether they need anything from you beforehand.
This shows responsibility and gives you an opportunity to provide your input before you leave. It also relieves any guilt you might feel by not attending.
If the meeting is one you would normally chair, you have two options:
Delegate the running of the meeting to someone else.
Have a preparation session with them beforehand so they can run it effectively in your absence.
Cancel or postpone the meeting.
A perfectly fine option once in a while, and great for people to get some time back while you are away.
4. Text, don’t email or call
Tell people that you won’t be checking email but will be checking texts.
Checking texts is far less invasive than checking email.
It sets clear expectations but shows that you’re still contactable if something very important and urgent arises.
If you have a separate work phone, even better. Just check it once a day and leave it where you’re staying.
5. Your Out-of-Office message
Tell people you are out of the office, and will not be checking email.
Include details of who to contact instead of you.
Tell people that if something is both very important and very urgent, they can text you. But that you don’t expect most things to fall into this category.
Here’s a template you can use:
Hi,
Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office and will not be checking email until I return on [Date].
If you need immediate assistance on [Project / Topic], please reach out to [Alternative Contact Name] at [Alternative Contact's Email]. (Repeat for all your key projects / topics.)
If something is both very important and very urgent and one of the contacts above can’t help, please text me on [Your Phone Number]. However, I don't expect most things to fall into this category.
I look forward to connecting with you on my return.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
6. What to do if something very important and very urgent does arise.
If something that truly requires your involvement does arise while you are on holiday, don’t dabble. For example, don’t do it from your sunlounger.
We generally categorise our time as for work or leisure.
When you have to work in your leisure time there is a conflict between your expectations and reality. This conflict will annoy you.
So, reset your expectations.
Go to a specific place to work, for a specific period of time.
Compartmentalise that time for work.
Get it done, and then head back out.
7. Returning to Work
Block out your diary for the first day back.
To all intents and purposes for your team and clients, you are not back.
Mark it as a holiday in your calendar if necessary.
Use this time to catch up on emails, review what happened in your absence, and get back into your work routine without the pressure of immediate meetings.
The alternative is normally a very long first day back and the reason why most of us when asked about our holiday say “it seems like a long time ago now!”.
In summary
Much of this is about a mindset change. You can get this to work for you, and it is perfectly fine to do so. Remember, taking proper breaks is an integral part of high performance.
Use this checklist to plan for your holiday:
Inform people: Notify teams and clients of your holiday and no email checking.
Manage upcoming work: Review upcoming work, delegate tasks, and empower your team.
Meetings: Inform organisers, provide input, and delegate or reschedule.
Text only: Check texts, not emails.
Out-of-Office: Set a message with your absence, contacts, and urgent text info.
Urgent issues: Work from a specific place briefly if you need to.
First day back: Reserve your first day for catching up and easing back in.
On a personal note
I used to check email all the time when I went on holiday – ever since 2005 when I first had a Blackberry.
But in May 2021, I stopped.
I managed this even though my workload and responsibility were high.
I was a partner at KPMG at the time.
I had multiple clients, each with separate internal delivery teams, and I was on the leadership team helping to run a large part of the UK firm.
I used the approach above and my teams took charge and made great decisions.
My main concern was how my clients would respond. But they actually welcomed and respected the thoughtfulness behind my approach.
They trusted that I had planned appropriately and that I would still be available if something went wrong.
It meant that my wife and I spent two brilliant weeks exploring Ibiza, and I had the most rejuvenating holiday I’d had in 15 years.
One quote to get you going
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
What’s your take on this? Please let us know on LinkedIn.
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