The days and weeks at work before a vacation can be hectic because you’re preparing yourself and your colleagues for your time-off. Taking the time to get things are in order before you leave for vacation will help things run smoothly for your team while you’re away, as well as help you ease back into work life when you return. To ensure everyone is equipped with everything they need during your absence, here are a few ways to prepare:

Inform Your Coworkers

As soon as your vacation dates are approved, proactively inform the colleagues you regularly work with about your time-off and who they should contact instead if they need assistance. You should also discuss any on-going projects in which customers may reach out to them. Letting your team know as soon as possible will also eliminate vacation overlap that could create stress for the remaining team members.

Create a Pre-Vacation To-Do List

Work is never finished, but you only have so much time between now and the start of your vacation. Create a to-do list and prioritize what you should focus on before you leave. This will help to make sure everything is in place before you leave so your time off can be worry free.

Create a Post-Vacation To-Do List

To help ease yourself back into work when you return, create a to-do list to refer to for when you’re back. Drafting a to-do list before vacation means you’re less likely to forget items and can easily get back into work mode.

Organize Your Desk

The last thing you want is to come back to a messy and cluttered desk after a relaxing vacation. Take the time to organize, declutter and clean your workspace prior to leaving so that you can start fresh when you return. This will also be helpful for co workers trying to find documents or notes while you are out of the office.

Set an Out-of-Office Reply

Since things can get busy the day before you start your vacation, you can even turn on your out-of-office reply a day earlier in case you won’t have time to respond to every new email you receive before you leave. When drafting your automatic reply, remember to include:

-The day you’ll be back

-Phone number and email address of your replacement person(s)

Time away from the office is a great way to rejuvenate and relax. Making the right preparations before your vacation can ensure the days leading up to your departure is orderly, you are able to relax while on vacation and that coming back to the office is also a smooth process.