How to Make your Vacation Profitable | Time Management

SalesVantage.com >> Article Archives >> Time Management >> How to Make your Vacation Profitable

Print This Article

Email This Article

Time Management

How to Make your Vacation Profitable

By Ken Wisnefski, President, VendorSeek.com

It is possible to mix business with pleasure. Most people will not like the idea of using their vacation time for business purposes, but it can make a difference in your overall productivity

Do you know those days that we should be at the office, but we are on the beach? Those days we are still sleeping when the alarm should be going off? Yes, I mean vacation days. They come few and far between, but most of us get around to taking some days off during the work year.

Many people will relish the opportunity to be physically and mentally as far away from work as possible during vacation. This is not abnormal, but expected; but vacation time can be a time to do some work. Work during vacation?! Read on - it is not as laborious as you might think.

Use your time wisely

There are many minutes in a day - if you can allocate your time wisely, you can balance work and leisure. Your mind will be more at ease on vacation, and ironically, this might be a great time to think about business. The following are some actions to take on behalf of business while taking some time off from the office…

Talk to others

Vacationing gives you the opportunity to talk to others. Whether you are taking some time off in your hometown or anywhere around the globe, there will be occasions to talk to people. It is surprising how easily ideas can be generated from talking with another person. Engaging in a conversation about business, whether it pertains to your specific industry or business in general, can benefit you. Ask questions and listen to the perspectives of others. They may have different views than yourself, but they can offer free knowledge that can be applied to your own business.

Make calls

Others will be working when you have the time off. This will afford the chance to make those calls that you have made without success or have not found the time for at the office. Many times during the business day, we attempt to contact someone and they are out of the office, on vacation, in a meeting, etc. When they try to return your call, you may be unavailable. During vacation, you will have the time to talk, so even if they are indisposed, you will be available when they return your call.

Do some legwork

The business day can be long, and time after work may be limited. If it is geographically viable, do some legwork for your business while on vacation. This may mean paying a visit to another business, doing some research in the library, getting supplies or equipment for the office, etc. Some actions may be unrealistic or delayed because of the time availability before and after work. You can use your time off to get some things done and still have the time off for leisure activities.

Reflect

As aforementioned, taking some time off work is mentally beneficial. This may be the best time to think about work. Reflect on work: marketing, employee resourcefulness, operations, etc. Write down some ideas on several topics for later referral. This can be done casually while doing other things on vacation. Carry around a pencil and small notepad so it is easy to jot down any thoughts at short notice. It is amazing how physically being away from the office can change our perceptions on business. It creates the ability to see things from an outside perspective -which is not easy to do while engaged in day-to-day business activities.

Incorporate into weekends

These methods can be used on the weekends. Many people do not like to think about work when they are off, but disseminating duties throughout the entire week can ease your mind of anxiety and stress, and create opportunities to get more things done on a larger scale. It is very easy to think of things from a black and white perspective, but you may find it easier to integrate different aspects of your life at appropriate and convenient times.

Kenneth C. Wisnefski is the president of VendorSeek.com, an online business to business marketplace that connects business consumers with pre-approved vendors in over 150 different categories. VendorSeek.com has over 5,000 vendors in their Approved Vendor Network and processes close to 10,000 requests per month from businesses of all sizes.

More articles by Ken Wisnefski
More articles on Time Management

Sales & Marketing Articles 4U

Featured Advertisers