​Planning Ahead: The Key to Relaxing on Vacation

 Photo Credit: Pixabay
 
Guess Post by: Rodney Mogen and Nicola Reid

Vacations are some of the most wonderful times of the year. Many Americans count the days until they can take their allotted paid time off and get away from the stresses of the office. Taking a vacation is a great way to get refreshed and rejuvenated, but some Americans are not taking the vacation that they are given, possibly because of all the stress associated with the trip. 
 
Taking time off doesn’t make you less likely to get a promotion; in fact, Harvard Business Review cites data that shows the opposite is true. With that in mind, Solve Ur Puzzles invites you to look at some ways that you can make your next vacation more relaxing and maybe even get that promotion!
 
Prepare Your Work for Your Vacation
 
When you start to get ready for your vacation, make sure you plan ahead. Studies have shown that lack of planning is a huge factor in most people’s elevated stress levels when on vacation, so try to have everything in order about a month beforehand. This allows you time to also prepare your workplace for your time off. 
 
We recommend choosing a second-in-command for any major tasks or projects your work group has going on. This person should be able to field questions and make decisions on your behalf. Should something important come up while you are away, knowing that you have this person in place will help you unplug and relax while you’re out of the office. This person can also act as your registered agent if you don’t already have one. 
 
Finally, The Huffington Post suggests completing any tasks that will cause you stress on vacation before you leave. Whether this means finishing a big client proposal, responding to emails, or even scheduling a doctor’s appointment, make sure you take care of it. Alternatively, to prevent that first-day, back-to-work overload, any work that can wait should go on a “task list” that you can review once you’ve returned home.
 
Prepare Your Home
 
Taking a little extra time before you leave to clean your home, put some fresh sheets on the bed, and buy a few groceries for your first day back is also a great idea. This allows you to come back and stay in a relaxed state of mind before you have to throw together another family dinner and do house cleaning.
 
Don’t forget to leave a light on and stop the mail to make sure to deter any unwanted guests from checking to see if you’re home. It is also a good idea to have a friendly neighbor keep an eye on your house while you’re away. For longer trips, make sure to turn off your water, invest in some light timers, and unplug all your electronic devices. Leaks and electrical fires do occasionally happen even when you’re away, and nothing ruins vacation bliss like a major issue at home.
 
Make Sure to Relax
 
Be careful not to schedule too many activities during your vacation, and make sure you have some breathing room. With the overload of technology today, it is hard for most Americans to remember how to relax, leading us to pack our vacation schedules as tightly as we do our normal ones. The point of a vacation is to get rid of your stress, so make sure you have time in your schedule for whatever it is you want to do. Whether that’s reading a book, taking a walk on the beach, going hiking, or even sleeping in, make sure you’re doing your vacation your way.
 
Staying in a vacation rental is one sure-fire way to invite relaxation into your downtime. Compared to the work and preparation that goes into getting a hotel room or dealing with an Airbnb, for which you have to deal directly with the homeowner, a high-end service like TurnKey manages the process from start to finish. Plus, you can enjoy amenities like a full kitchen and 24/7 customer service. Distinctive properties are available throughout Austin, including downtown condos, trendy neighborhoods with live music, and elegant estates. 
 
You can also rely on others to help take some of the guesswork out of your planning, which ensures you’ll have more time to relax. This includes signing up for tour groups, or asking the hotel concierge to help you book tickets to a show or a restaurant reservation. 
 
If you prepare your workplace and your home for your vacation, it’ll be easier to relax. Ready to take that last week of vacation time, now? We wish we could come with you!
 
Solve Ur Puzzles is a personal process to get to know what drives you and what worries you, solving the puzzles in our lives, whether it be personal or financial. Contact us to find out more!   rodney@solveurpuzzles.com