Fun fact, research shows that humans are more productive when they take time off. Taking those vacation days could do more good than harm for your law firm’s success, although it may not feel like it when you’re getting ready to go away.

Do you get anxious when you think about the handover process before you leave, and even worse, the all the work that will be waiting for you when you get back? I know I’ve felt that way before.

The thought of going on holiday can be overwhelming, but taking a well-deserved break doesn't have to be complicated. If you implement the four steps we’re going to walk you through today, you’ll be able to keep your clients happy and manage your workload and your team effectively while you’re away.

Welcome to Gimbal’s Tip of the Week, where you get practical, actionable advice you can use right away to start building a more productive and profitable legal practice.

Today’s tip: put your “Stress-Free Getaway” process in place now. Here are the four steps:

1. Provide a point of contact you trust

The last thing you want is work calls on vacation. Determine an alternative point of contact and make it very clear in your out-of-office messages. This could be a colleague, your assistant, or your answering service. Choose someone you trust to handle questions from clients and staff and, ideally, handle any urgent issues that arise.

2. Lay out your team's workflow

Create a list of action items to complete while you are gone, including any of your own work that must be finished while you’re away. If you’ve got automated workflows already, great. If not, a simple list or checklist will do. The most important thing is that your team members understand their roles and tasks and your expectations, especially if they’re taking over your work in your absence. Review the workflow with your team before you leave.

3. Provide resources for tasks you delegate

Once you've delegated tasks, equip your employees with whatever they need to complete their work. Provide notes, clarifications, petty cash, important documents, and anything else that might slow down operations if not available.

4. Have clear due dates

Many people slow down when they lack supervision. Set explicit due dates for every task you assign, so your employees and team members get work done on time. You can use a simple excel sheet or an online project management tool like Asana, Basecamp or Trello.

We manage our remote team on Trello and we have a few rules that help keep work flowing even when we unplug for a few days. Every task that goes on our Trello board has a person assigned to it, and a deadline set. Reminders are automated, so people see very clearly when they’re getting close to their deadlines.

So this week's action item is to make your out of office transition a lot smoother by implementing your Stress-Free Getaway process now.

Legal professionals who get away regularly to recharge their own batteries will deliver more value for themselves, for their firm and, most importantly, for their clients. You can’t do that unless you’ve got a process in place to make getting away easier.

And that’s it. Join us next week for more on building a profitable and productive law practice.

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Thanks a lot everybody! See you next week.