Giving Yourself a Time-Out
After a much needed week away from the office, it is time to re-engage. Knowing when to take a break and rise above the endless stream of emails and paperwork is an important part of truly managing your business.
We all need a break. It might be something as small as not working through your lunch or as grand as a vacation in a tropical paradise or skiing down a snow capped mountain, but we all need that time away from the office. Weaving in daily or weekly moments of refuge is critical to being your best at your daily routines. We all know when our bodies need rest but do we listen enough to our emotional and mental cues that it is time to seek refuge from, at times, what may seem a relentless stream of emails, phone calls, and demands on our time.
The simple action of using your email auto notification of out of the office can do wonders for your productivity and your mind set. When I receive someone’s out of office automatic reply to an email I have sent, it tells me a few things. First, I know my email did not go to their Spam or Junk folder. I am assured they have received it in their inbox. But more importantly, it helps set my expectations for a return reply. The more detail you include in your out of office reply the better for you and the person contacting you. Provide them with the timeframe you are away, and when to expect a reply. If someone is filing in for you while you are gone, include their contact information as well. The last thing you want is to return to an overwhelming number of to do’s sitting in your inbox. Even if you do not have coverage, as many solopreneurs understand too well, providing detailed information on your return should tell the sender to be patient and advise them on when to expect your response, which should, in turn, stop them from sending multiple emails or tracking you down via telephone. Unless it is an emergency, most business contacts understand we all need time away and giving them a response timeframe should be more than sufficient information to keep them at bay until you return.
if you do not have anyone to cover for you when you are out of the office, and you are checking emails, set aside the same time to respond. After a full day of relaxation or activity, with your mind refreshed, look to respond. I have found s good time for this is right before my dinner plans. I set about enjoying my day and then, after a day of non-office activities, respond to the critical calls, and then move on to enjoy your dinner and evening. Categorizing emails or calls into critical and non-critical is a simple way of ensuring your time away can be enjoyed.
Using tools like your Out of Office option on email or a voice mail recording that you are away helps to set expectations of those contacting you. And, more importantly, it helps keep anxiety managed at an acceptable level while you are away and when you return.
Be like our dog, Poppy, in today’s blog photo. Use what is available to you to rise above the activity around you and know when to give yourself a much needed and well deserved time- out.
Be well.
