I once overheard a business owner say that he felt more productive when he took a vacation, though not for the reasons one might expect. He explained that he worked in a whirlwind just before the vacation to make sure everything was taken care of before he left. Then, when he returned, he had to work even harder to catch up with all the things he missed while he was away! He then jokingly suggested that perhaps he should take a vacation every week.

Are you prepared to take a vacation? As we enter the holiday season this is a critical productivity question to consider. While many people vacation is a nice, relaxing break from routine, for others vacation is extremely stressful and is more a nightmare than a "dream come true."

Consider the following action steps to help make your next vacation time a blessing instead of a curse:

1. Block out the dates well in advance and commit to the date. I have worked with many executives who either schedule their vacation tentatively or, after scheduling the time, allow themselves to ‘bump’ that time off. Commit to the calendar in writing and commit yourself in action that the time you have scheduled is not subject to change.

2. Schedule "power-down" time for just before the vacation. Avoid the last-minute rush. Block out a sufficient number of hours a day or two before you leave to allow time to "power-down" your work. Avoid scheduling appointments the day before you leave. Instead, schedule time to process and prepare so you can put everything in order before you go.

3. Schedule "power-up" time for just after the vacation. Similar to the last principle, do not schedule appointments to occur the day after you come back from vacation. Rather, allow yourself enough time to get back up to speed, to catch-up on missed email and missed voicemail messages. By budgeting this time in your calendar, before you leave, you will feel more able to leave work at work while you are enjoying your vacation.

4. Find a home to gather your thoughts during vacation. While you are on vacation you will likely find yourself thinking of solutions to work problems that existed before you left. Be prepared to avoid distraction by having a place to gather these thoughts for future review. Carry a notebook with you or use a voice-to-email program such as ReQall. When a work-related thought comes to mind, quickly capture it and then forget about it. When you return from your vacation use a portion of the "power-up" time you scheduled to go through that list of ideas you gathered during vacation.