Balancing work and play: How to be productive while on vacation

MANILA, Philippines – No matter how old you get or how long you’ve been working, the summer months still signal free time and trips abroad. So when you do get approved for a pretty long leave, it’s understandable that you’d what to make the most out of it. This is the usual game plan: go to the farthest place you can, lock your computer inside a closet, leave all your troubles in the office, and forget about work.

This is all fine – fun even – until you get back to your desk, all smiles and tan lines, only to discover that you’ve never had more work to do. You’ve got emails waiting to be read, meetings scheduled one after the other, and worst of all, looming deadlines that could have easily been submitted a week ago. The good news is, this can all be avoided.

The next time you go on a vacation, try turning it to a “workcation.” That might not sound appealing at first but hear this out: instead of forgetting about work completely, minimize tasks and integrate them into your schedule. This could be as simple as allotting 20 minutes before your day starts to giving your team a call and asking for updates. After which, you can go on with all the relaxing you had planned knowing that there won’t be a pile of work waiting when you get back.

In true “workcation” fashion, here’s a fun and informative guide on other ways you can balance work and play. – Rappler.com