Set Boundaries Before You Go on Vacation

By Mario Lyons for Harvard Business Review | June 8, 2023

Do you have a hard time disconnecting from work—like, completely disconnecting—while you’re on vacation? Here are five things to do in advance to protect your precious time off.

• Provide a plan. Prepare a document outlining how your work will get done. Who is the emergency contact for each issue that could arise in your absence? Who will manage any ongoing projects?
• Block your calendar. This way, your manager, colleagues, and clients will remember that you're out-of-office (OOO) any time they try to send you a meeting invite.
• Send pre-notices for standing meetings. Don’t just decline standing meetings the week of your vacation. Send emails to let the people who run those meetings know that you won’t be there—and ask if there's anything they need from you before you depart.
• Optimize your OOO message. State that you will not be reachable until the date you return. Include an internal contact for emergencies and one who will handle other important but non-urgent inquiries.
• Send a final reminder. The week before your vacation, remind all your relevant collaborators when you’ll be on vacation and the date you’ll return.