If you are headed out of town and not taking your own laptop with you, make sure you have:

1) A flash drive with your most important documents and templates

You never know when the ideal client will decide to call from a Thanksgiving retreat with a request that you respond by close-of-business on Friday. Sure, you probably want to make Thanksgiving a family-only weekend, but wouldn't you prefer the option of taking advantage of a really good business opportunity?

2) A cheat sheet (in code, if necessary) of your non-memorized passwords

If you've gotten in the habit of letting your browser remember your usernames and passwords, you may not have typed anything but a high-security bank or brokerage password in quite a while. Perhaps you don't even bother to log out of some of your often-used low-security sites. (Is it possible it's been so long since you logged out of Ryze that you don't even remember your password?)

Indeed, it's the low-priority sites for which you're least likely to recall your login data. Sure, it's no big deal to have your password emailed to you, but when you're on the road or using Grandma Bessie's old computer, wouldn't you like to make things easy on yourself?

Make sure you have the login and FTP information for your web site's control panel if there's any chance you'll need to make an update or correction while traveling. Even if your web designer is willing to make a quick fix over the holidays, you can't be certain she will have your login information handy.

3) The instructions and codes to call your home/office voicemail

Don't laugh. Most of us check our cell phones on our cells and our home/office voicemail in person when we get back to the office, and many of us have all of the codes programmed into our oh-so-smart cell phones such that we haven't had to dial them in years, if ever. Again, even if you've chosen to have a work-free holiday, you'll stress less if you prepare for all eventualities.

4) A list of your clients' phone numbers

It never fails; whenever I go on vacation, I get a (garbled) voicemail from a client, begging for a return call, with no return phone number. In the age of Caller ID, many people assume it isn't necessary to leave a phone number, and not everyone realizes that a crystal clear connection on their end of the line doesn't mean their message can be understood.

Next, consider taking the following steps to ensure a smooth return, both for you and your clients.

1) Set a reminder on Outlook or post a note on your calendar for Monday morning to revise your voicemail when you get back.

If you're setting a "Happy Thanksgiving" voicemail message or something that otherwise tells people you'll be away and won't return to the office until Monday, November 26th, make sure the first thing you do on Monday is change your message back to your standard. Otherwise, it could be Wednesday when you get a message from a client that sounds like "Um, I don't know if you're back yet or if you missed some flights, 'cos your message says you'll be back two days ago…and I really need to know if you'll be available this week to do some work for me." Grrrr.

2) Similarly, make sure your autoresponder ends when it's supposed to. Sometimes, missing one checkbox can mean you're sending out "Gobble, Gobble" messages well into December. Send yourself a quick test email when you get back, just to make sure everything is working properly.

3) Prepare your desk for your return.

Clear your desk of clutter. File away your reference files and put any papers reflecting tasks to do upon your return in your tickler, or pile them in order of when they need to be accomplished (with the deadline date in the upper corner or on a sticky note). Make a list of your top three priorities for Monday and put it square in the middle of your desk. On the day you return, focus on those tasks for a few hours before being tempted by email.

Finally, while you're up in the air or riding in the passenger seat or just relaxing after too many carbohydrates, flip through your calendar pages of the past year to recall the people and events in your life and business worthy of gratitude. You may value some people because of the revenue or referrals they bring your way, but also take note of those whom you've helped the most. Hasn't your hard (or inspired) work for them given you a particular sense of esteem and value for which you are thankful?

Have a safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving. I hope you all get your wishbone wishes. I'm traveling (in mere hours) but will see you back here next week.

--
Julie Bestry, Certified Professional Organizer®
Best Results Organizing
"Don't apologize. Organize!"
organize@juliebestry.com
Visit http://www.juliebestry.com to save time and money, reduce stress and increase your productivity

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