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July 2013 - Issue 108 - www.clareevans.co.uk
Hello ,
Summer is well and truly with us here in the UK and we're enjoying warm weather for a change.
A great motivator to get out and about and if you don't have a holiday already booked, take time out in the week to rest and relax. Get out into the fresh air and sunshine.
And if you've been inspired by Wimbledon and the Tour de France, which I've been watching avidly - get active too.
Stay connected through my blog, on Twitter and Facebook.
Clare
P.S. Feel free to pass this article on to your friends and colleagues. Thank you.
 
Countdown to a stress free holiday
It's only a matter of weeks and perhaps even days until many people are heading off on holiday.
What can you do to avoid the run up to your annual Summer holiday turning into a time of stress filled chaos, long hours and mad activity as you try to cram everything in before you go away?
Plan ahead - what needs to be done over the next few weeks and when you're doing to do it. You know when your holiday is coming up, so don't leave everything to the last minute. Start planning a minimum of two to three weeks before you go, so you have to time to get things organised.
Keep the last week before your holiday as free as possible. don't book up too many meetings in this week as you may not have time for all the follow-ups and actions before you leave.
Prioritise - make sure you select the 'most important' things you need to be working on before you leave. What's the minimum you need to do to keep things moving? You'd be surprised at the results you can get when you focus on the right things.
Set time limits on tasks, so you'll get things done quicker and are less distracted if you only have a limited amount of time available.
Delegate what you can. This becomes more important when you're not going to be around. What's going to happen to your business while you're away? Who's going to answer the calls, respond to emails or look after your clients, customers and projects?
You can switch everything to voicemail or set up an 'out of office' message. Redirect your calls to a call answering service who can handle all your calls while you're away.
Handover. While you might feel that only you can run your business - that's not the best strategy. Make sure you have systems and processes in place that enable the work to keep ticking over in your absence.
Arrange meetings with your direct reports to update them on the status of various projects and any action required while you're away.
Communicate - let your clients know you're going to be away, when and for how long. Give them time if you need something from them before you go.
With children around over the school holidays, if you need time to work on your business, share childcare with friends and family. If you work from home, a few focused hours is a far more effective use of your time than a whole day being distracted or trying to juggle work around family commitments and ending up feeling guilty and overwhelmed.
DON'T work while you're on holiday! You need a break and that's what you're holiday is for. While a cursory check of emails may be needed or you might be contacted in an emergency - focus on your family and friends first.
If you're in the habit of spending much of your 'holiday' working it's an indication that something's not working. You need to look more seriously at your time habits, your boundaries and priorities.
On your return:
- Don't overload your first day back at work. Give yourself time to get back up to speed.
- Avoid booking meetings on your first day so you have clear time for planning and catch-up.
- Except - short review meetings to get you and your team back up to speed.
If you want to enjoy a stress free holiday and be more in control of your workload but don't know where to start - give me a call or book a free consultation to discuss your specific situation.
Until next month.
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| Resources
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Useful Resources
Dropbox- access your important documents from anywhere. 2GB account is free! http://db.tt/6Urb7cJ6
Aweber - Create your own automated newsletters. Follow up, tracking, & real-time stats. www.aweber.com
Market Samurai - A GREAT tool for improving your website SEO, keywords, Google Ads www.marketsamurai.com
Focus Booster - a useful timing and countdown app to keep you focused, on track and less distracted.
Time Management For Dummies
Grab a copy of this best selling book and get tons of tips and ideas.
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Worth reading several times
Time management in easily understood sections
Clare Evans
Personal and Business Coach
T: +44 (0)1273 588297
M: +44 07887 954512
E: [email protected]
W: www.clareevans.co.uk
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