Vacation Planning Tips: How to Prepare Your Schedule Before Time Off

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | June 4, 2026 |

 

You can watch my video by clicking on the graphic below or read my thoughts beneath it:

 

 

 

Is it trip planning season? I read that somewhere the other day, and you know what, I think trip planning season should happen year-round because all of us have different schedules. But the key is when you are ready to plan your trip, one of the first things you want to do is decide what dates you need to ask off from work, because if you wait until the last minute to make those selections, and if you wait until the last minute to make the request for those dates, you might find that somebody else has already grabbed those dates.

So make sure that you select your dates, make sure that you also block off time on your calendar, not just for vacation, but for prep time. Because one thing that I’ve seen a lot of people experience is that they get slammed right before they leave, so they’re stressed out and they think they need to take work with them on vacation so that way they won’t fall behind.

And then they dread coming back to work after vacation because they’re afraid they’re going to have to dig out of a hole. So if you set some time on your calendar to remind yourself you’re going to need some As well as setting time for yourself on your calendar so that way you are not meetinged out the minute you get back.

You have some time set aside for catching up. That’s really going to help you enjoy your vacation even more. So, whatever time of year you’re planning a trip, make sure you specify the dates, you ask for those dates off from work as soon as possible, and block your calendar before your vacation and after your vacation.

So you have time to prep as well as time to catch up when you get back.

 

Do you have questions about calendar management, preparing for vacation, or reducing work stress before time off? Share them in the comments below.

 

Want more practical strategies for reducing overwhelm and working smarter? Check out The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.

 

About Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO®

As The Inefficiency Assassin™, Time Management Fixer Helene Segura empowers professionals on the go with the tools to slay lost time. Personal inefficiency at work leads to increased stress levels, lower morale, higher absenteeism, more turnover – and rising spending on employee health care and hiring. Why not improve productivity, decrease stress levels, and increase profits instead?The author of four books – two of which were Amazon best-sellers – Helene Segura has been the featured organization expert in more than 200 media interviews. She has coached hundreds of clients to productivity success and performance improvement by applying neuroscience and behavioral modification techniques to wipe out destructive, time-wasting habits.Helene turns time management on its head by sharing both client case studies and pop culture examples to teach her mind-bending framework for decreasing interruptions, distractions and procrastination so that companies can spend more time generating revenue.

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