prevent leave stress: keep space before and after!

Apparently, the stress is never as great as the days just before your vacation! You rush through your files, want to finish everything soon - whether your boss, client or colleague wishes it -, you have to delegate one more thing, you want to send that one email soon, clean up and leave your desk tidy, etc. etc. Finally, you close the office door behind you, rush home, where you still have to pack the bags, soon iron that rug, and... Feeling, stress again. How to prevent leave stress

The week before your vacation?

Schedule as little as possible that week! Keep it mostly as a buffer time. Everything in nature needs a warm-up and cool-down, make sure you respect nature's laws

Which planet are you from?! I hear you say, You don't know my boss, right?! or That is far too busy for us, pure theory and tip!

Work smart, not hard!

Of course, I don't want to interfere with your personal situation and in the end, you and your manager will choose a little bit.

Apart from that: what would it feel like to be in a bit calmer waters, clear your desk/mailbox at your leisure, finish the past period neatly and reflectively - what went well, what could be better - and take improving action/intentions into the future? Whether your annual goals can still be viewed and how far you are, to see what support you need to do even better after your leave? You can also hand over your job neatly and at your leisure to your colleagues, instead of rap, rap, by mail the last day, etc.

Indeed, theory, until you put it into practice.

Come back, but not too early!

The same thing when you return: your need for leave is never as great as the first day you're back, it's often joked. Especially when you see all your emails to reply to.

So keep space for your warm-up, your planning & emails that first week and build in time to rethink and discuss working methods. After all, leave has a healthy effect on your brain. You often see things differently. Especially if you have to drag yourself to work on the first day, it's important to stop and think how could it be different, better, faster and still talk about it with your boss, colleagues.

A clear, fun absentee assistant?

So - with the knowledge of your big bozzzzzz - set up your absence assistant one day earlier and one day later after your vacation. That way, you buy your freedom to, among other things, close and restart properly, to process your emails correctly and attentively from the first time, instead of too fast and half.

Keep the text of your absence assistant clear in terms of content: what happens to the mail, who to contact during your absence... and also customer-oriented fun. Be careful with funny messages, check your company policy or... push boundaries.

And... action!

• When is your next vacation? Quickly schedule your buffer time before and after!
• The idea could be to send your vacation with a meeting request: this ensures that your colleagues - and important contacts - only have to click accept and your vacation is in their agenda. Read more about this in double stress when your colleague is on vacation?
• 1,000 emails that laugh at you... uh... smile at you after your return: how to process the email avalanche after your vacation super quickly and effectively?

Are you a supervisor?

• set an example for productivity and well-being: buffer before and after your own vacation
• at the same time, allow your employees to keep and schedule space before & afterwards


• and by the way: buffering is a lever for the same productivity and well-being, find out here: your planning never works: prevent, buffer and keep it realistic!