This article was originally posted on LinkedIn on 7th July 2022.

Will you be checking your email during your upcoming holiday period? And more importantly, do you have reason to or is it just a habit? Read on to ensure you truly disconnect from work during any upcoming holidays and return refreshed and revitalised>>

Ensuring an effective holiday disconnection approach comes down to good planning. Sometimes, we also need to be dynamic in the approach we take to maximise the quality of our time-off, like "nuking our inbox" on return from any break. Follow these steps below to prepare thoroughly, before you "power down" fully:

1. List the benefits - grab a pen and paper and write a list of the benefits of full disconnection, personally and for your work performance and productivity. This list will remind you to stay self-disciplined. Come back to this list if you need a boost or a reminder of why you need to disconnect

2. Planning to go offline and setting expectations - prepare for your holiday time the days or week BEFORE, preparing your Out of Office messages, notifications on any messaging tools and having any final conversations or exchanges and ensuring your colleagues and clients know your plans. Finally, ensure any work task handovers are completed.

3. OOO - should mean Out of Office - ensure that out of office is activated on all relevant email accounts and other notifications are clearly set up on any other messaging software. Again, set expectations clearly with any important contacts by including text like "I will not have any access to my email during this period, so I will not respond until my return". As you type these messages on notifications, remind yourself to stick to them!

4. Nuke your email inbox - some choose to go a step further and mark all emails as read on return to their desk after vacation time. Chase Warrington from @Doist has a superb tip when it comes to tackling the dreaded post-holiday email inbox; deleting all messages on return, encouraging senders to find a resolution themselves in the interim and putting the responsibility onto them to follow up on any communication after a certain date.

"For the last year or so this has been my automated out-of-office reply across all platforms when I'm away for a week or longer. When I return, I just nuke the inbox(es) - problem solved 😇"

5. Leave your devices at home- I often go without my device/s on holiday (unless, of course, I am combining remote work and travel), often not taking a mobile device at all, if I can. Other times, I take a mobile but with no work-related software, email etc. Ask yourself, what suits you best and supports your overall strategy to disconnect?

6. Lead by example - if your team or organisation has a tendency for people to be over-connected, lead by example and be the change you want to see these holidays. Reassure yourself that one person can make the change and influence behaviours in the wider group. Also, you know it is better for yourself personally, so congratulate yourself for on resolve in being the change you want to see!

7. Relish in the benefits - on your return, go back to the list and writing you did in step 1 and make a note of the benefits of your better disconnection practices. This will help reaffirm your efforts and support the adoption of these healthier behaviours going forward.

In closing, we all deserve to fully disconnect from work and work-related matters. Individuals need to embrace the self-responsibility and self-discipline needed in this regard. Start your better time off practices today and reap the benefits!

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This article was originally posted on LinkedIn on 7th July 2022.