Are you going to be working over the holidays? I am a big believer in downtime but I also know that in practice project managers and senior managers need to work sometimes whilst on leave. Here are five things to do before you pack your suitcase.

1. Read up on data security

Find out exactly what you can and can’t do when it comes to looking at your corporate files while away. Check out the policy for downloading and accessing files from other machines like your friend’s tablet or the PC in the reception of your hotel.

Every company will have slightly different rules about what you can and can’t do while working remotely. Broadly though, the common sense approach is to make sure that you never download files to a machine that is not secure. You can look at them online or check websites, but make sure nothing is downloaded and stored to the machine itself.

For security and confidentiality reasons another good practice is to make sure that you are working in an area that cannot be overlooked. Trains and planes are confined spaces; you never know who might be sitting next to you and what they will do with the confidential project emails that they read over your shoulder.

2. Get your plan online

The project plan is the cornerstone of most project management work. If you lose access to that, you will have a hard time doing anything on your project while you are away. That’s why it’s so important to have access to your plan online. It’s easy to do that with web tools like Seavus Project Viewer.

Make sure that you have access to any other tools and apps that you need as well. And don’t forget your passwords!

3. Change your attitude

Be realistic about what you can achieve from the wilds of the outback or an unfamiliar city. You won’t be able to do everything, especially if the wifi signal is bad and you can’t get phone reception. And you should adopt the attitude that you shouldn’t do everything. You’re on holiday, remember?

If you know you absolutely have to work, focus on doing what is essential and then put your work down so you can enjoy the rest of your stay.

4. Tidy up your To Do list

Spend a little time going through your To Do list. Personally I try to get my inbox down to a reasonable level as well, as there is normally something in there that will relate to my time off.

The point of going through your To Do list is to work out what might actually need your intervention in a timely manner, either before you go or so that you can hand it over to someone else.

If there are tasks that you plan on handling yourself from your vacation destination then make sure that you are going to have access to any files that you need and the right people to help. Simple things like checking you have the contact numbers of your project team in your personal cell phone will make working while away easier – especially if you are disciplined enough to leave your work devices at home.

5. Handover to a colleague

The best thing to do before you go away is to handover all your project work (or mostly everything) to someone else. Brief them on what problems might arise while you are away and what they should do about it. Share the contact details of people who will be able to help such as your key project team members, your sponsor and other stakeholders. If possible, the person you handover to should be someone already familiar with the project such as an experienced and trusted member of the project team who can act as your deputy while you are away.

Make sure that they have your contact details and they know the dates that you are going to be unavailable. Hopefully they won’t need to get in touch with you but if they do at least they will know how.

I don’t want to advocate working on holiday but in today’s modern economy where there are blurred lines between work and personal life, and flexible working practices are more common, we do have to be realistic about being asked to work or choosing to work while the calendar might say we are officially on vacation. If you think it is a possibility that you will pick up some tasks while on holiday, make sure you are prepared for it and the whole thing becomes a lot less stressful.