7 Tips & Tricks to Manage Work on a Vacation
/With guest poster Sarah Moe
I get it. You’re the CEO, COO, CFO, and CTO of your own business. You can’t possibly leave for two weeks and send an away message. You’d go crazy with anxiety and your business would crash and burn (so you think).
What if I told you that you can check all of those boxes off of your bucket list and still get your work done?
Here are my 7 tips for being able to travel without sending an away message (and still getting the benefits of taking a vacation).
1. Create a Trip Watch /
You have to start with where you want to go and the best time of year (or most affordable time) to go. One of the best ways to figure this out is using an app like Hopper that allows you to see the prices for flights to your dream destination for an entire year. Pick your ideal dates and create a trip watch. Hopper will notify you when it’s the best time to buy your tickets so you can get back to work and not worry about checking flight prices every day. Easy to set up and takes virtually no time to book your flight once they alert you.
2. Find a co-working space in your vacay spot that meets your needs /
Need wi-fi, a printer, or a scanner? Everyone and their mother is opening a co-working space around the world. Desk Surfing is a good place to start your research because you can search for work spaces based on location. Don’t fret if there isn’t a space listed in your location; most cafes around the world now offer free wi-fi (but they may not have printers or private rooms for Skype calls).
3. Download a World Clock app /
A world clock allows you to easily see the time (and date) for several locations around the world at once. This will ensure you won’t miss that call or deadline just because you are one day ahead of your home base. And, it’ll help make sure you don’t accidentally schedule calls at 3 AM when you know the bats near your tropical hut like to fly low.
4. Work in time blocks /
The worst thing you can do is spend your entire vacation behind your computer. So, be sure to set specific (and realistic!) goals for each day and work in time blocks to make sure those tasks get done quickly and efficiently. One of the easiest ways to implement time blocking into your work life is to use the Pomodoro method. It will help keep you focused on your tasks so that you can hike to those awesome waterfalls later.
5. Arrange your explorations to to suit your work schedule schedule /
Do you have a call on Friday afternoon? Or a Saturday morning deadline? Make sure to plan your excursions and adventures around your hard deadlines. If you don’t have hard deadlines, arrange your work around the fun activities. DO NOT miss out on a local, once-of- a-lifetime festival for something you can do tomorrow morning. You will remember the experience of randomly running into a neighborhood festival in a small village in Thailand and spending the whole day dancing and eating incredible food more than the five emails you had to send.
6. Speaking of emails...limit the time you spend in your inboxes /
We all know the feeling of not getting anything done due to email overload (or the back-and- forth with you colleague or assistant). Only check your emails twice a day maximum. That’s it. If you start getting bombarded with emails, suggest a call using a service such as Whatsapp that allows you make international calls using wi-fi so you can get back to drinking your fresh coconut on the beach.
7. Look into traveling with other entrepreneurs who will motivate and inspire you to get your work done and see the world /
Hello, Adventure creates unique, creatively curated "Workcations: for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who need to get work done, but who also need to take a vacation. They arrange everything for their guests - accommodation, membership to co-working spaces, meals, exercise classes, professional workshops, networking events, and daily activities. You don’t have to do anything except hop on the plane (see Tip 1).
Born in a town so small it doesn’t actually exist, Sarah made a vow: to call the world home. She’s since backpacked, studied, worked and volunteered in well over 20 countries. A lawyer/entrepreneur, her new latest venture (a travel company for entrepreneurs) was inspired by her work with time-strapped entrepreneurs and her firsthand knowledge of the incredible benefits of travel. She is a textbook Aries, loves terriers and American football, and aspires to one day ride a shortboard and sing karaoke without embarrassment, although probably not at the same time. You can find her at Hello Adventure and Frame Work Law.
