Nick Pappas’ Post

+++MAKE YOUR VACATION WORK FOR YOU+++ Happy Monday, LI network! I just arrived home from a week-long vacation in Mexico. I had all the plans in the world to work while gone, yet the internet gods had other ideas in store for me. I was forced to not work! I suppose the idea of a vacation is designed around this concept, and yet I know hardly ANYONE who fully unplugs while on holiday; it seems impossible, and most people vacation with the intention of staying semi-plugged in. Between the habit of work and the financial dependency upon it, it is often hard to stop working. Halfway through my vacation, my internet started to pick up. We were at sea and then docked, and though I could have scheduled a little bit of work, I decided to keep the relaxation momentum going! I felt so stress-free and recharged from my few days sans-internet, that I stayed the course and took all 5 days off. I came back more energized and ready to WORK than ever. YES- there were emails to answer, calls to make, more work to be done... no shortage of new jobs to find candidates for. But did I miss MUCH? Was any of it urgent enough to take away from my Zen vacation mode? Definitely not. Moral of the story: The less you work on vacation, the more you will want to work off of it. Many of you are gearing up for summer holiday with family and friends; if so, give yourself some grace and compassion. Sometimes the best gift you can give to yourself- and your professional practice- is a break from it. If it is hard work to stop working, then you know it’s time to hit the reset button! Have a wonderful week, everyone! RS

I spent the first week of 2024 on vacation with my wife in Kauai. Here are some things I’ve learned about taking vacation as a junior associate: 🏝️ Communicate early and often Schedule your vacation and let those you work with know when you’ll be out and for how long. Personally, I send an email bcc’ing everyone I’m currently working with as soon as I know when I’ll be out. Then, I follow up on that email periodically leading up to my vacation dates. This generally leads to a smooth transition and re-entry. 🏝️ Short + frequent > long + spread out Adam Grant: “The frequency of time off from work matters more than the duration.” I have found this to be true. A long weekend away is more revitalizing than a full week. Vacations are like naps. Too long, and I come back groggy. Find your sweet spot through trial and error. 🏝️ Follow the golden rule Do for others what you would have them do for you. If one of your team members is going on vacation, ask if they need anything covered while they’re out. Then, avoid contacting them unless it’s absolutely necessary. That karma will come back to you when it’s your turn to be out. Any other tips you would add? ⤵️ #vacation #juniorassociates #younglawyers #lawyerlife

Caption contest for what my son, Luke, is thinking here?  🤣 How to ACTUALLY Rest on Vacation 101: Step #1 :: Ensure your Teammates & Stakeholders get What They Need 🤝 Remind everyone a week out that you're going on vacation, and ask them to request anything they need from you at least three days before you leave. Time block the last three days to support on other people's needs. Close all loops before you leave. Ensure there is nothing dependent on you or your memory while you're away. Step #2 :: Find Someone to Be Your Vacation Shield ���♀️ This person needs to fully cover for you while you're gone, and you in turn can cover for them when they are on vacation. Notify EVERYONE that this person is covering for you, put it in an email auto-responder, and add it to your voicemail.  This is key. Step #3 :: Time-block Your Calendar for Re-entry Activities BEFORE You Leave 📆 Time-block your first two days back in the office BEFORE you leave, including re-entry meetings with your key team members, and ample time to clear your email. The goal is to get back up to speed quickly, without heavy expectation on deliverables. Trust me, you will want to kiss your past self square on the mouth for doing this for you. Step #4 :: Log Off of EVERYTHING  🤳 As you leave, turn off your devices or log out of all the things. Only answer the phone if it's your Vacation Shield, who knows to only call you if the sky is falling. Step #5 :: Be All In On Your Vacation ⛱ Take an awkward picture showing off your gummy smile with your family (and some donkeys), or you know, whatever it is you actually want to do on vacation. Step #6 :: Have a Day at Home Before You Go Back 🏡 Give yourself a day at home before you get back to work. Do your laundry, run your errands, be fully reset and ready to dive back in. Step #7 :: Do What Your Time Boss Planned For You For Re-entry 🔌 Step #3 was a gift to your future self. Run the plan, and thank your Time Boss for being so thoughtful. That's it! What other tips do you have? P.S. Caption contest for what my son, Luke, is thinking here?  🤣

How to ACTUALLY Rest and Recover on Vacation 101: Step #1 :: Ensure your Teammates & Stakeholders get What They Need 🤝 Remind everyone a week out that you're going on vacation, and ask them to request anything they need from you at least three days before you leave. Time block the last three days to support on other people's needs. Close all loops before you leave. Ensure there is nothing dependent on you or your memory while you're away. Step #2 :: Find Someone to Be Your Vacation Shield 🙅♀️ This person needs to fully cover for you while you're gone, and you in turn can cover for them when they are on vacation. Notify EVERYONE that this person is covering for you, put it in an email auto-responder, and add it to your voicemail.  This is key. Step #3 :: Time-block Your Calendar for Re-entry Activities BEFORE You Leave 📆 Time-block your first two days back in the office BEFORE you leave, including re-entry meetings with your key team members, and ample time to clear your email. The goal is to get back up to speed quickly, without heavy expectation on deliverables. Trust me, you will want to kiss your past self square on the mouth for doing this for you. Step #4 :: Log Off of EVERYTHING  🤳 As you leave, turn off your devices or log out of all the things. Only answer the phone if it's your Vacation Shield, who knows to only call you if the sky is falling. Step #5 :: Be All In On Your Vacation ⛱ Take an awkward picture showing off your gummy smile with your family (and some donkeys), or you know, whatever it is you actually want to do on vacation. Step #6 :: Have a Day at Home Before You Go Back 🏡 Give yourself a day at home before you get back to work. Do your laundry, run your errands, be fully reset and ready to dive back in. Step #7 :: Do What Your Time Boss Planned For You For Re-entry 🔌 Step #3 was a gift to your future self. Run the plan, and thank your Time Boss for being so thoughtful. That's it! What other tips do you have? P.S. Caption contest for what my son, Luke, is thinking here?  🤣

VACATION!!! It’s not just one of the funniest movies ever made it’s a very controversial topic for #lawyers in #biglaw. Some #lawfirms say they have an unlimited policy or give a few weeks but most don’t really get how important vacation really is or truly encourage real time off for their #attorneys. Im here to tell you that taking real #vacation is absolutely critical to you thriving in your career and it’s a business imperative that you and your team members all take a couple uninterrupted vacations each year which this #lawdad is about to do with his family. 😎 The stress of this job can be persistent and overwhelming and one of the best cures for that is unplugging a couple times a year. Here are my top tips for taking and managing vacation for you and your team members especially as a team #leader and #mentor. • Encourage it and lead by example - make sure your team knows you want them to take real vacations and show them you mean it by doing it yourself. • Plan ahead - have a group calendar and plan way ahead so not too many team members are out the same week. Let clients know you will be out and generally unavailable and make sure someone is paying extra attention that week while you’re out. • Cut the cord - leave your work laptop at home. Set an out of office that says to text if it’s urgent. I will likely glance at my email once or twice a day but will generally not be responding unless it’s a true client emergency. Model that for your team. • Read a book - whether you read books regularly or not, you should get through at least one book not related to your career on every vacation. • Focus on the family - give your spouse and kids the uninterrupted attention they don’t get the other 50 weeks of the year. But don’t do forget to do something nice for yourself too. • Pack like a pro - take half as much stuff as you think you need you can always do laundry. Don’t forget sunscreen, pepto and Tylenol! No matter what type of vacation you enjoy, making your time away from #work all about you and your family will make you a better lawyer, leader and team member. This will be my last post until I’m back next Sunday - see you on the other side!! #timeoff #workingparents #worklifeintegration #worklifebalance #lawyersoflinkedin #selfcare #mentalhealth #takeabreak #familyfirst #vacationmode

It's summertime! 🌞 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵. And we, Estonians take summer vacation very, 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 seriously! We’re either jetting off abroad or basking on our beautiful beaches, exploring the hidden gems and spending time with family and friends! It's the best time to escape the daily grind, soak in Vitamin D and prepare for the upcoming grey season. But, did you know there are specific vacation laws in Estonia? 🤔 ✅ Everyone gets at least 𝟮𝟴 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀* each year. That's almost a whole month to explore! *𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺. ✅ The duration of the annual leave must be specified in the work contract. Additional vacation days can be agreed upon in the contract. ✅ If you're under 18 or have a disability, you get 35 vacation days. Teachers even get 56 days. Great for extra rest and recharging. ✅ Talk to your employer about scheduling your vacation days. They have to create a vacation schedule by March 31st each year. 𝘐𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝟮 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. ✅ You can split your vacation days, but at least one chunk must be 14 days in a row. Isn't it perfect for a proper getaway? However, time off under 7 days' should be mutually agreed upon. ✅ Each working month gives you 𝟮.𝟯 days of holiday. ✅In the first work year, you can have a vacation after having worked for at least six months. In this case, the vacation duration corresponds to the length of employment. ✅ Employer can give vacation in advance. This means you can use your entire annual vacation in the summer! ✅ Didn't use all your vacation days? No worries! They can roll over to the next year, but make sure to use them by the end of the following year, otherwise you will lose them. ✅ If the holidays have not been used when you finish a work contract, the employer has to pay you monetary compensation for unused holidays. ✅ National holidays during your vacation period will give you additional holiday days. ✅ Holidays without pay may be granted only by mutual agreement. During unpaid leave, the employment contract is suspended. If this list is too long for you to read right now, 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁! You can find some handpicked useful links in the comments. 🔗 And don't forget, we're here to assist you with your relocation and immigration queries! Drop us an email at 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼@𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗠𝘆𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁.𝗰𝗼𝗺 📥 #MoveMyTalentDidYouKnowThursday #Vacation #Summer #MoveMyTalentRelocation

Take your summer vacation seriously. Here are 6 tips that can help you prepare for your vacation time from work. #SFD #FinancialAdvisor #SummerVacation #VenturaCA

Should you take a full summer vacation this summer, or are you a victim of vacation shaming? There are some people who clearly should not take any vacation: 1.      dictators, because they get toppled when away 2.      accountants fiddling the books, because they get found out when away 3.      paranoid managers who believe that they are 100% indispensable and the firm will collapse unless they are on 24/7 4.      paranoid managers who believe that they are 100% dispensable and that they will be fired while away 5.      normal managers who are subject to vacation shaming by senior managers The bad news is that 50% of Americans do not take their full vacation allowance. Since most US citizens are not budding dictators, paranoid or on the fiddle, unlike one potential presidential candidate, that means there is a lot of vacation shaming going on. And it is not good for anyone or for the firm. A wonderful Wall Street Journal article (if that is not an oxymoron, given its toxic politics) highlighted the power of vacations. The bottom line is that: 1.      staff who take full vacation get promoted twice as fast as staff who leave substantial vacation time unused 2.      staff who take a minimum 10 hours vacation a month are rated 8% higher than those who take less 3.      staff are under using holiday entitlement by 650 million days per year: they are donating $150 billion a year to their employers each year! Smart readers will, at this point, wonder which way the causality flows: does more vacation lead to higher performance or does higher performance make staff feel more confident about taking time off? Here the evidence is unclear. Plan a holiday at the last moment and your stress rises; plan it well in advance and you have less stress and more enjoyment both before and during the holiday. One way or the other, this is a great time to get out either because you are good enough to go on holiday, or because you need to go on holiday. Either way, I hope you have a great time. #leadership #wellbeing #vacation #management #performance #stress https://lnkd.in/eK7p4t88

Vacation Mode: Activated! 🌴... Almost This Sunday we are going to Puerto Rico so by this time Monday I will be sipping a cocktail 🍸 in the heat (hopefully on a beach) and 100% work free! Yes, 100% ✅ Emails deleted from my phone ✅ ClickUp deleted ✅ Slack deleted The best part is that when I go away, there are no client messages to worry about because they all know I am away and respect my vacation time. For the most part, this is possible because of my regular systems and processes but there are a couple extra things I do to prepare: 1. Organization: I take a look at all of my tasks for the month. What needs to happen before I leave and what can wait until I get back? I move the due dates so that there are no tasks due the week I am gone. I also take a look at my teams tasks to make sure they have enough for while I am gone. 2. Communication: My email signature has had "VACATION NOTICE" on it for the last 2 weeks so noone is surprised when they get my out of office. I have also emailed my regular clients directly to let them know the dates and who they can reach out to if needed in my absence. 3. Team work: My team knows what they can and cannot handle, they know what they are in charge of while I am gone, what clients will reach out to them and what they should handle or leave for me. Being able to 100% unplug and enjoy vacation is essential for any business owner. You need time to relax and recharge. Also, what is the point of owning a business if you don't get to enjoy your freedom?! Where is the last place you went on vacation? Also, please share any Puerto Rico "must-sees" - we are not used to this kind of vacation so need all the help and advice we can get! #vacation #businesstips #organization

🛫 Do you work while on family vacation? Each time I share that I do some work on family vacations, I am met with a myriad of reactions—from friends who sheepishly admit that they do too, to horrified looks and protests of “but you’re on holiday!” My family and I were away for a much-needed vacation of 17 days. That also meant 17 days away from my team and from my work as founder and director of SeraphCorp Institute, a leadership consulting firm. Now don’t get me wrong, the firm runs fine without me. (Maybe even better! 😎 ) But I like the routine of working while on vacation. I find it works for me. While on vacation, I continue my habit of waking up early. I take some time for myself before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. I read, pray, and have some quiet time. And then I work for about 45-60 minutes, depending on what our schedule is for the day. I organise my emails, update my to-do list, and answer some phone messages/texts. From a psychological perspective, this pocket of time in the morning to myself, settling some bits of work, feeds my need for structure and routine. The time to myself helps me to center myself; I thrive when these important pieces of my life are in place. By the time I’m done with work, the rest of the family would have woken up and are starting to get ready. And we'll head to breakfast together. By then, I'm ready to commit to being fully present with them, ready for a day of adventure and togetherness! What about you? Do you work while on vacation too? 😎 #gracejmlam #seraphcorp #leadership #management #leadershipcoach