Getting Your Office Organized Before Your Vacation (What To Do)

Once in the adult world, there is no sweeter time spent than a vacation away from work! Unfortunately, a work vacation does require a bit of extra effort and organization prior to leaving to ensure things run smoothly while you’re away. Not only that, but returning from time away will be a much easier and smoother transition if you put in the extra prep work now. Follow our experts’ steps below to get your office organized before your absence and you’ll be able to experience nothing but peace and relaxation on your vacation!

Because you will be away for a bit, this is a great time to do a mini “deep clean” of your workspace! Before a vacation, you want to clear the clutter from your desk. File paperwork or scan and digitize documents you don’t need physically need anymore. Toss all outdated notes, post-its, or junk mail. Throw away trash and remove anything on top of your desk. Relocate items to their proper storage spots (pens/sticky notes/etc. in desk drawer, etc.).

With everything properly stored away and decluttered, it’s a great time to clean all the surfaces. Take advantage of the opportunity and wipe everything down. To prepare for your absence, lock up any confidential files and/or devices. Shut down your electronics or move them into power-saving mode before you leave. If needed, take any valuables home with you for this time away. And, if possible, turn off work apps and notifications to truly disconnect while you are gone!

Not only is this a good time to tidy up and organize your physical office space, it’s also a perfect opportunity to declutter and organize digital files so you can “start fresh” upon your return! Delete old emails and correspondences you no longer need. Create subfolders that are clearly labeled and archive files and/or emails you might need to reference back to in the future. Move digital documents and files onto a cloud or shared drive for safe keeping. You also want to bookmark any important links you’ll need when you return!

One of the most important tasks to complete before your departure is to set up communication notifying others you’ll be out of the office. Set an away message on your email that clearly states when you will return and who to contact in your absence. Schedule your away message to start early and end a day late, so you can guarantee it is on for the length of time you are away (you can manually shut it off when you return).

Create a “To-Do” list or document to keep coworkers/employees on task during your vacation. Finish projects or delegate ongoing ones to others on the team. Ask if anything else is needed from you or expected of you before you leave and avoid starting new, non-essential work or projects in the final days before your vacation. Write down any important tasks or projects that need to be completed or monitored while you are gone and let your team know where they can find this information.

Have a clear list of responsibilities and instructions for each individual on the team. Include project updates, key persons to contact, deadlines, and where to locate things that are needed for the tasks/projects. Share any necessary passwords or login information so that team members can safely access these items while you are gone. Verbally share this information with the colleagues covering for you and/or boss as well, so you can answer any questions they have face-to-face before you leave. Apps/programs such as Asana and Trello are also great tools to utilize because they reflect your current progress, upcoming tasks, deadlines etc. in real time and will ensure this information is accessible to everyone in your absence.

Clean up your calendar and have a return plan! Make sure you don’t have any meetings or appointments scheduled during your time off, and if you do, reach out to get those rescheduled. Don’t book meetings or appointments for the day you return. Block that time off to give yourself a chance to get caught up with anything you missed while away.

Write a “return plan” for yourself, listing your top priorities for when you get back. This should include emails that need responses, documents to review first, and any important deadlines or paused projects you need to have in the forefront of your mind. Having this plan recorded prior to your vacation will make it easier to get back into the swing of things without feeling overwhelmed upon your return.