To avoid returning from vacation stressed, the first step is not to leave with pre-vacation stress. Technology can help tie up all loose ends at the office so you can enjoy a worry-free vacation.
Automating email, storing important files in the cloud, or taking a break from devices like your phone or computer will help you relax and enjoy some days off with your loved ones.
The Spanish consumer electronics brand SPC offers a series of recommendations to disconnect from work during vacation with the help of technology.
Summer vacation is probably the most anticipated time of the year, although many people struggle to fully disconnect, thinking about tasks they might have left unfinished.
Whether we are employees or business owners, the truth is that it’s hard to completely disconnect and not check email or phone messages. This causes stress, anxiety, and a feeling that disconnecting is impossible. But with the help of technology, we can enjoy our vacation without fear that something will go wrong at work, which will still be waiting for us when we return. Because to avoid returning from vacation stressed, the first step is not to leave with pre-vacation stress.
If we follow these 5 tips gathered by SPC, the Spanish consumer electronics brand, we can tie up everything at the office so that no setbacks spoil our much-desired and necessary vacation:
Set up and automate your email
One basic option when going on vacation is to set up your email to automatically notify anyone who writes to you that you will be unavailable. Since the message can be customized, it’s best to indicate the dates you will be out of the office and provide alternative contacts of colleagues who will cover for you. This way, if something urgent comes up, they can contact another team member to resolve it. This option is available in almost all email clients and providers and can be set up from your phone.
Work in the cloud and on shared servers
The cloud is the great lifesaver for companies in the 21st century and the infrastructure that enables remote work and collaboration. Therefore, it’s important for companies to gradually migrate to this ecosystem, so that the rest of the team can continue with pending tasks and vacations won’t interfere with the office’s daily operations.
Also, if everything is stored in the cloud, our colleagues won’t have to ask us for files or documents while we’re at the beach: they can download them themselves from the cloud or company server and work normally, even if we’re enjoying vacation on the other side of the world.
You are the first person who must respect your own vacation
Stress is the great enemy of our time. To combat it, we must respect our own vacation: it’s a time to relax, enjoy, and forget about daily worries.
The ideal is to work progressively before, during, and after vacation. Many people get stressed when preparing a trip or while on vacation because they feel they don’t have everything under control. You have to go with the flow and get help: with a smartwatch, you can monitor your stress levels in real time, which is very useful for taking care of your well-being both during work and on vacation. Our goal is to return home refreshed and ready to face the new season with energy.
Airplane mode is your ally
Although we will continue using our smartphone during vacation, whether to post photos and videos on social media, read news, or chat, we should configure it properly so that work calls and messages don’t interrupt leisure time. Don’t hesitate to block notifications or mute WhatsApp groups related to work. But if you don’t want to go that far, you can always use airplane mode to temporarily disconnect your phone from work and maybe activate it only at certain times of the day to check for any important notifications.
Also, if you block or mute your work phone, you’ll still have your personal phone available in case of a real emergency that requires your attention.
Your home in the best hands thanks to family and technology
Not all vacation stress comes from work: sometimes it’s hard to leave our home or business empty for so long because we worry something might happen. To solve this, we can ask a family member or close friend to watch over our home, even giving them a spare key just in case.
Also, if we install an intelligent video surveillance system that streams images in real time to our smartphone, we can check occasionally that everything is fine. These devices store images in the cloud so you can access them anytime, even from your phone. Some models also include a alarm that will alert us if it detects any anomaly or the presence of an intruder. It’s the perfect way to monitor our properties not only in summer but all year round.
With these simple tips, some devices, and options that technology offers, we can enjoy a well-deserved stress-free vacation and help you return calmly to your routine.
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