Summer is officially here and I hope you’re excited about the warm weather, beautiful trees and the gorgeous skies. It’s time to plan our summer vacations.

If you are not planning an all-out summer vacation I seriously encourage you to do so. We all need a vacation to a certain extent, although we all have different ways of accomplishing it. Some need the physical distance and change of scenery, and will need to take off a week or so to travel. Others are happy to take a break by staying home from work for a few days; but in the final analysis, we all need to recharge once in a while, and what better time to do so, than during these beautiful summer days?

For some of us, it’s really hard to disconnect, or “unplug” from our business. Still, despite any valid and (mostly) unfounded misgivings, it’s very important to do so.

We all work very hard day after day to make our business more successful, but we also need to unwind a bit and take a breather to enjoy life, enjoy our families, and get a fresh burst of energy to continue. You know how it is when you need to drive up a huge mountain ; you put your gears in reverse, in order to get enough power to drive straight up. The same holds true in business. If you take the time to clear your mind and unwind a bit, that will help you to be able to continue forging ahead at full throttle.

Make no mistake: before taking a vacation you will need to be well prepared. I will try to outline some preparations you should make before you head out the door:

Notify your clients ahead of time that you will be out of the office.

Brief someone in your office on all open projects, and what to do with them.

Record a vacation greeting to let callers know that you will be out of the office and when they can expect you back. (Do this for your voicemail as well as your e-mail in the form of an auto-reply)

Select someone to cover for you in case someone needs immediate assistance.

Remember, the better you prepare for your vacation, the more you will enjoy it knowing that your clients are taken care of.

In the meantime, enjoy your well-deserved break. You’ll return refreshed and revitalized and ready to take on the myriad challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Onwards and upwards,

Meny Hoffman