Noah Scape - a Time Management Blog by Alex J. Seltzer, SPHR

Why do so many of us work while we are on vacation?

Why do so many of us work while we are on vacation?

Like most, I look forward to my vacation all year. It’s a time to unwind and detach from the pressures of work and routine. We enjoy the time with our children and presumably they enjoy the time with us. Vacation is a special time that generates memories that last a lifetime.

Most experts agree that a vacation (or interruption from work) is necessary to regenerate and regain the energy and focus necessary to get our jobs done.

So why do so many of us work while we are on vacation?

I’m no authority on why people do what they do, but I can tell you from my own experience that the behavior of constantly checking a device such as a Blackberry has an addictive quality. We get in the habit of checking it and being connected 24/7 it’s hard to stop. They don’t call it a "crackberry" for nothing.

So what’s everybody making a fuss about? What’s the consequence of not checking out when we should? I think the movie "Click", one of my favorites for obvious reasons, does an excellent job of depicting the result of not being present for your family. In the movie, Adam Sandler is the father who comes upon a TV remote that allows him to fast forward through all the boring family stuff. Eventually he misses everything and his personal life is in ruin.

I love the movie because at the end he’s able to rewind and he learns his lesson without having to pay the price. The price we pay for not being disconnected from work is that we miss the really important stuff; our kids growing up (it happens so fast), deep relationships with family and friends and so much more. If you haven’t seen the movie its worth the time and I promise you’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for the value of being present.

So whether you are on vacation or just home for the evening or weekend, remember the boundaries of work and the value of being present.

Here are just four tips that I use while on vacation:

1. Set aside a few minutes every morning before the kids wake up to check my email. This way I can deal with emergencies and prioritize non-emergencies for when I return to work. If you prefer not to deal with email while on vacation, turn your Blackberry or other smart-phone to phone calls only. Don’t respond to email unless absolutely necessary.
2. Only answer work calls from my assistant. I prep her before vacation to only call me if it’s an absolute emergency. If you don’t have an assistant, pick one person on your team to call you if you are truly needed.
3. Avoid listening to voicemail. I remember a time when an employee resigned using voice mail while I was on vacation. Hearing that news didn’t do much to lift my spirits for the balance of my stay. Be certain to record your outgoing message as being out of the office and not checking voice mail or returning calls until you return.
4. Set up an out of office assistant in Outlook before you leave for vacation. This will let others know that you will be unavailable until a specific date and how they should proceed in the event of an emergency.

Do you have any tips to share about how you manage your work life while on vacation?

Why am I Doing This?

Why am I writing this? Good question. It seems to me to be the easiest way for me to share my passion. Until recently I didn’t know that helping people perform better, specifically with their time management, was my passion. You see, when I was growing up my parents always told me that I would go into the family business. My father started a franchise of Manpower in Altoona, PA in 1965. I joined the organization in 1980 and I’m still there today. Helping people find work that fits their skills and interest is honorable work. So it’s not like I hate the staffing business, I just like the business consulting/time management business more.

In fact, I learned the time management process that I now teach because of Manpower. When I started 30 years ago we had one office and 3 employees. It was simple and I did very well in a sales role, but by the late 80’s I was managing people and multiple offices. Things quickly became complicated.

It might also be helpful for you to know a little bit about my childhood. It wasn’t until I was 18 that I was “officially” diagnosed with dyslexia. From my perspective having that diagnosis and understanding at a younger age probably wouldn’t have made a big difference, but would have helped me understand why everything was so hard. I can tell you things, especially learning and organizing was very difficult for me. In comparison to my peers and my twin sister, I was falling behind more and more each year.

So having this understanding might help explain my enthusiasm for helping people who feel like their work is consuming them and who are getting further behind each day. I hope that I can touch at least one person with these words.

A little about me...

At age three, I fell head first from a top bunk bed leaving me with a serious head injury and 52 stitches. While no long-lasting affects were indicated at the time, it became apparent early in school that I had challenges learning. I was later diagnosed with dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder. The same year I was placed in a classroom for special needs children, my twin sister Alison was placed in a special classroom for gifted children.

Despite the diagnoses and all the labels, my family refused to give up. Finally, a psychologist said, “He is either retarded or a genius.” I opted to be a genius!

By the age of thirty, I accomplished more than many have in a lifetime! I currently serve as President and CEO of Manpower, Inc. of Altoona, PA. During my tenure I expanded the business from one office with 1 million in sales to over 20 million in sales and 6 strategic locations throughout Central Pennsylvania. 

However this success came with a price.  Things became chaotic as we added staff, offices and customers. I found myself overwhelmed and consistently over-promised and under-delivered. Perhaps a gift from above, I stumbled upon a flyer describing a system claiming it could bring order to my otherwise chaotic existence. I enrolled in the course and have been a passionate supporter ever since. When the opportunity presented itself to become affiliated with Priority Management nearly a dozen years later, I jumped at the chance.

I have enjoyed learning and working in the staffing business for nearly 30 years. More recently though, I discovered that my real passion lies in helping people and organizations become more efficient. I help people understand and focus on important issues rather than the urgent. I have always believed that it is imperative people understand getting the right things done is as important or more important than just getting more ‘stuff’ done.

I think that it is ironic that I find myself helping people and organizations with the very thing that challenged me early in my life.