We all associate holidays with relaxation. If done right, a good holiday will be not only a break from your working life but also a chance to leave behind the stresses that arise at home. Of course, life doesn’t just screech to a halt just because you go away – but the chance to leave the inbox and the spreadsheets behind gives you some much needed time to remember the gentler things in life.
That’s the theory, anyway. If you want that dream to be the reality, then you may need to put some work in ahead of going away. You should train yourself to avoid thinking about work but you also need to be ready for a bit of pre-trip troubleshooting.
Sound horrifying? Of course, it does. You’re going away to get away from this kind of thing; so why would you want to load up on even more work just to get a break? Doesn’t that ruin the Law of Holidays (or it would if such a thing existed)?
Perhaps… but only if you look at it with half an eye open. What you need to do is work a bit harder on your prep so that your holiday can be as blissful as it’s meant to be. It’s all in the name of not having that horrible moment on the plane. The one where you become a nightmare passenger babbling to your neighbor about hoping you haven’t left a cell phone charger plugged in. Of course, when that happens, your holiday bliss is dented with the screeching of reality – and there’s nothing you can do to fix it because you’re thousands of miles away.
If you don’t fancy the idea of such a scenario (and who does?), then a little pre-holiday work goes a long way.
Now You Have To Make A List
Don’t pretend that lists aren’t somehow inherently satisfying. You know you love them; everyone does, even if actually going through the list and checking off the tasks is not met with quite the same enthusiasm.
Your to-do list needs to include all of the things you can’t do much about when you’re sunning yourself on a beach half a world away. It should include:
- All bill payments and direct debits set to leave your account while you’re away have got the funds to cover them.
- Making arrangements for long term airport parking, ensuring you’ve prepaid and know exactly where to leave your car.
- If you intend to use them, test out and ensure you’re happy with electrical timers. If you’re not familiar with the idea: they’re a simple gadget that turns lights on and off in your home, so any potential burglars surveying the house will be fooled into thinking someone is home.
- Any arrangements needed for plant watering, picking up post – speak to friends and family well in advance and ask them to email you updates if anything is amiss.
Then You Have To Go Through The List
Sorry, it’s the tough part but it’s got to happen – you now have to do the list. The best way of approaching this is to set aside a weekend day prior to the holiday, where you crunch through it all in one go. Then you can go and browse photos of your intended destination and daydream – you’ll have deserved it.