Blog

The holiday season means time off, and many of us have upcoming PTO scheduled as winter gets closer. While many look forward to spending time away, it can also increase our anxiety levels. You may be worried about the work waiting for you when you return or how people will feel about you being gone. Here are four on-the-job tips and tricks to make your time off as restful as possible.

Prioritize Tasks

In the weeks leading up to your PTO, prioritize your tasks. Look at what you need to accomplish and then make a list based on what needs to be completed before your time off and what can wait. When you prioritize like this rather than work in a reactionary way, you can accomplish much more.

Make a To-Do List

Next, make your to-do list for when you return. Even as you prioritize your work ahead of your PTO, something might fall through the cracks if you skip this step. By making a list, you will see it first thing when you return, which will jog your memory. It can also help your team as they know what you have already accomplished and what you will handle when you return.

Make People Aware

It's customary to set an Out of Office reply for the time you're gone. But what if you let people know ahead of your scheduled time off that you'll be OOO? If you let your clients and coworkers know in advance, you can avoid some last-minute requests that can take all the joy out of your PTO.

Plan PTO Early

It's also helpful to plan your PTO as early as possible. For example, if you know in the summertime that you want to take Thanksgiving week off to travel, don't wait to put in the request. This ensures that you will get the time off you've requested unless there's a good business reason or seniority. You may miss out and have it rejected when you wait until just before.

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