Office Organizing Strategies for Stress Free Time Off

When you head off on a trip, whether for business or for pleasure, it’s important to prepare and get organized before you leave. Putting systems in place before you leave and allowing time for preparation is key for a stress free trip. With work to delegate, colleagues and clients to communicate with, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed as you plan for time out of the office. These simple yet efficient office organizing strategies from this NYC Professional Office Organizer will help you feel confident as you head out of town.

Create a plan and communicate it. Without a plan in place, you’ll find yourself answering phone calls and replying to emails while you are out of town. Your first step in preparation needs to be developing a plan. Share with your team the dates you will be away, what tasks need to be covered, and work together to delegate who will be point on each item. Make sure to schedule time to sit down with those covering for you while you are away so that you can discuss any specifics that they need to know in advance. If everyone is on the same page, issues that may arise can be easily and quickly addressed.

Prepare your office. Set up your voicemail with a detailed out-of- office reply, and create an automatic response in your email system to do the same. Include the dates you’ll be away and leave contact information for the person in your office who is acting as the point of contact. Next, organize your office before you leave. File away all paperwork, clear the top of your desk of any unnecessary items, and clear out both your voicemail and your email inbox. When you return, you’ll immediately be able to get focused and dive into whatever work you may have missed while you were away.

Prioritize. Create a list of what needs to be done between now and when you come back to the office. Separate those tasks into those items you absolutely must finish before you leave, those you can delegate to others, and those that can wait until you return. Focus your time specifically on those tasks that only you can complete. Give yourself a leg up on your return by creating a to-do list now of the tasks that will need your attention when you get back.

By implementing these simple office organizing strategies, you’ll be able to confidently be away from the office and know that your colleagues are well prepared to handle any issues that may occur! Set expectations and be communicative with your clients, colleagues, and coworkers and you’ll be able to enjoy your time off without stressing that work isn’t being completed.

Need more hands on help? Reach out to this NYC Professional Office Organizer!