Senior IS Project Manager| Baycare Health SystemsClearwater, Fl, United States
Everyone needs some time away from work to recharge and spend quality time with family and friends. However, sometimes returning from 1 or 2 or (lucky you) 3 weeks away from the office can seem overwhelming. Additional, while this is not a best practice, there are many times when people work during the vacation time.
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Michael, I think it’s a good habit to truly disconnect from work when you’re on vacation, especially when it’s family time. That said, when you’re in a position of responsibility, it’s sometimes easier said than done.
I usually try to delegate as much as possible before I leave and make sure the team has what they need to keep things moving. During my time away, I try to only get involved when something is genuinely critical and requires my attention.
For me, it really comes down to mindset, discipline, and organization. The better you prepare, delegate, and set expectations before leaving, the easier it is to step away and actually recharge. And ultimately, that’s the whole point of taking a vacation in the first place. Saving Changes...
I'm on permanent vacation now, but when I was leading projects, preparing for my time away by ensuring that key stakeholders were aware I wasn't going to be reachable, having a trusted "second in command" keeping project communications going, and leaning on my sponsor to play a more active role for critical issues or actions helped. I also made a point of reading my e-mail when I returned from latest to earliest so that I wasn't wasting time on things which had been resolved while I was away.
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