Taking time off is probably the most enjoyed activity at work.  Imagine: you’ve just submitted your vacation request and are now looking forward to your departure date.  For some reason, it seem like work is a little more enjoyable knowing that you’ll be taking time off soon.  It’s kind of the same feeling as working on Friday, looking forward to the weekend.

But would you believe that taking time off as become a stressful experience for many workers? A recent study showed that 71% of surveyed employees state that taking time off is a stressful experience, especially the first day of work after the vacation.  More and more employees feel huge apprehension about what they will face at work during those first few days back.

In fact, this worry often carries with them during the whole vacation.  The true essence of taking time off – fun, rest, peace, – is all smothered by the thoughts of returning to work overload.  Fears about reading thousands of emails, returning many voicemails, and getting caught up with other duties, seem to be too much to bear these days.

So when taking time off, how can you create an environment that is peaceful and in control, so that upon  returning , you feel completely at ease?  We share some key ideas that will make the taking time off process a breeze!

Even before taking time off, you’ll want to make sure you won’t be leaving any loose ends.  This means making sure all of your job duties will be covered while you are out.  Is there someone who will be doing your work for you while you are out?  If you oversee clients, who will be their main contact?  Also, who will take lead on answering the questions the employees you manage?

Questions like these will cause you to create a plan s so that everything will be covered while you are out.  Having a solid plan in place will make your vacation much more enjoyable as you won’t have any reason to worry about what is going on in the office.

Now, after taking time off, you’ll want to get back in to the groove as seamlessly as possible.  This is best accomplished through setting up some processes that within the first few hours of being back, you feel like you haven’t missed a thing.

To do this, you’ll want to have someone, ideally the person who handled your affairs while you were taking time off, give you a summary of the events that took place during your vacation. The summary only needs involve items that directly affect you in the near future.  All other remaining items can be relayed to you over the next few days.

From there sit down, take a deep breath and open your email.  If you’re like most, you’ll have lots of emails to filter through.  Begin by searching for names/emails that you know are important.  Get those taken care of and then move on to the next.  Set some goals as to how fast you will get caught up on your emails.  Make it a game and you’ll be amazed how fast it can happen.

Taking time off is a necessary event and a healthy part of keeping a balanced life.

It will lead to less stress, more dedication to work, and better success in your long-term career goals.