It’s time to take that holiday leave. Whether just a couple of days over Thanksgiving or a couple of weeks for time with extended family, holiday leave is both an incredible blessing and a source of stress for many. One study by the American Psychological Association found that 38% of people feel a serious increase in stress during this time. How do you take so much time away from the office without increasing your stress? Here’s our Holiday Leave Survival Guide to help you do just that.
1. Plan Ahead
You know this leave is coming up and there are plans you can put in place to prepare for it. Look at the tasks you have to complete beforehand.
2. Set a Cut Off
Setting a cut off for your holiday leave is a huge help. This cut off date becomes the time that determines what gets done before leave and what you will come back to. Obviously some emergency tasks may come up, but outside of true emergencies, you should not be doing anything new once the cut off date arrives. Setting this cut off date is vital to planning ahead and being able to shut down for the holidays.
3. Remain Firm
The biggest hurdle with planning ahead is remaining firm with the plan. It’s tempting to take on new tasks, those quick little things that won’t take any time. The problem is that those projects tend to grow and soon you are overwhelmed and stressed out. You need to remain firm and stay true to the plan. Trust yourself, you’ll be fine.
4. Enjoy the Time Away
Ultimately you are taking this time to be with family and friends. You work hard all year and this is a time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. When you are on your holiday leave, let work stay at the office and be present with your family. You made the plan, you’ve earned the time, enjoy it. You won’t regret it.
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