Can you enjoy your vacation without turning off your phone and the internet? This is a common question which was recently asked by Alexandra Samuel, an expert on the effective use of modern communication technologies, on the Harvard Business Review website. She concluded that it is not necessary to unplug completely. If you want to stay online while not dealing with work-related issues, a combination of planning, several technical tricks and discipline may help you.
Answer these questions:
Do you really have to check work-related messages?
Separate unrealistic expectations of your colleagues and superiors from your own fear. Do they really want you to read work-related e-mails during your vacation, or are you just afraid you might miss something?
Why do you want to use the internet on vacation?
Write a list of relevant reasons (e.g. for travelling) and stick to them. Leave other online activities for later.
Which of your accounts you will not check?
When, for example, you know that you will not read work e-mail or check social networks during your vacation, set up automatic replies and disable sending of new messages.
How will you use the internet on vacation?
Agree on specific rules with family members or the other people who share your vacation. It may, for example, be okay to read the morning news, but not to watch sports events online all days.
- Plan at least a small part of the vacation to stay offline and without your work phone.
- Turn off all notifications of incoming e-mails on your phone.
- If you assume you may have to solve some problems with a key client, consider setting up a special email address just for this emergency matter. Other work-related matters can wait.
- Use your automatic replies to the e-mails during your vacation to explicitly mention that you will not respond to all the messages received. Ask them to forward important messages again when you return.
- If you plan to check your work e-mail or voice mail, schedule regular time intervals to do so and inform your travelling companions.
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