A while ago I took some time off on vacation, and came up with these checklists on what to do before heading out. Let them be a starting point for yours if that's your thing.
Some time before your last day
- Remind everyone you work with that you're leaving.
- Make a list of things you'll hand-off, and assign someone to take over.
- Schedule time with those people and set them up for success. Contacts, tasks, deadlines, and possibly some way to reach out to you if they're well and truly stuck.
- Update your project tracking software to indicate you'll be away.
- Send a calendar item to your group, or post your time off on some list or shared calendar.
Your last couple of days
- Make sure your devices are backed up.
- Make sure everything you have everything you'll need in a redundant location. This helps having to "log back in quickly" to grab some personal document or contact left behind.
- Drain your inbox.
- Drain your pending messages from IMs and such.
- Send an email to the people you've handed things off to to remind them of any important information and to thank them.
- Set up an out-of-office message. Indicate who to contact while you're away, possibly by area of concern (and a catch-all person as well). Don't forget to say when you'll be back!
Now, turn off your devices and stop worrying about work for a bit.
Enjoy your time off!
Tags:
checklist management
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