Everyone loves vacation but few love all the work that has to be done before they go and all the work they come back to after being away. So how can taking a vacation be less work? Here are a few ideas:

• Every few months, pretend you are going on vacation and get all that stuff done “as if” you were going to be away. This way, when you actually do go away, you won’t have 6 months or a year’s worth of projects stored up to finish.
• Be realistic as to how much you really need to do before you go. If you have three large projects to do and time for only two, then prioritize them and let the least important one go instead of stressing yourself to finish all three. You will be back before you know it and can do it then.
• Let others help you. Think creatively as to what you can ask someone else to do for you while you are away. Most people are willing to lend a hand, especially if you offer to reciprocate at another time.
• Set up your out-of-office message. (In MS Outlook, go to Tools, then Out of Office.) Let people know when you will be away, when you will be back AND who to contact if important. This helps you not worry about missing those important communications.
• Take a vacation from email. I took a week’s vacation this spring with my family and decided not to bring my laptop. I set up my out of office notification and didn’t check email the entire week. Though I sometimes wondered if I was missing anything really important, I satisfied this curiosity by checking my voice mail (where people were told to call if important) a few times. I happily admit that I thoroughly enjoyed being unplugged. My family appreciated it too. And the world didn’t come to an end.
• Reserve the first day back for getting caught up. It takes a few days to get into vacation mode once you are on vacation and it takes at least a day to get back to work. So spend your first day back getting caught up on email, voice mail snail mail and other happenings.

Rev It Up Reading is our new public workshop that helps busy people get up to speed with what they read. The summer/fall schedule includes:

• New York City, NY - June 15
• Hartford, CT - July 21
• Basking Ridge, NJ - July 27
• Hartford, CT - October 13
• Boston, MA - November 17
• Fairfield, CT - TBA

Register early for our Early Bird Discounts or always get 10% off if you bring a friend (both receive the discount). THANK YOU for sharing this with your family, friends and colleagues!