Do you take your notebook with you on vacation?
So you've had enough and now it's time to get away for a vacation. What does your family think when you pack the computer? Will you be on vacation and out of touch? If you are like most of us entrepreneurs, we just can't seem to break away from the tether attached to our brain and the office, so we decide to bring along the computer.
If this sounds like you and about 75% of the small business owners today, make it a point to commit to a compromise with your family and stick with it. Spend the quality time with them and either get up a little early or stay up after they go to bed in order to enjoy your time with them.
Avoid any annoyances and disappointments by protecting your commitment to your family and take some precautions against technology failures. A technical problem could leave you feeling guilty on both sides of the equation. So, do take a few precautions and have a great vacation.
Consider these tips while you are away.
1. Protect yourself from unwanted intruders while using a wireless network on vacation. Make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date and you have a firewall installed and functioning on your computer. Most importantly, turn off file sharing on your computer while you are away.
2. Check to see that the settings on your notebook are for power saving mode on your computer while away. Turn off the extra attachments, DVD, external drives, etc.. that could cost you precious battery life. If you have an extra battery, make sure it is charged before you leave.
3. Try to focus on only dealing with email that must be addressed as urgent. Let the rest go until you return. Setup filters to move emails to folder you will view later. If you don't, you will miss out on the opportunities with family. Make the best use of your valuable vacation time. Set up rules in your email to move files into appropriate folders for viewing later. You might even consider setting up a rule to auto respond to email that explains you're out of town and will be responding only to urgent messages.
4. Give your computer a little makeover or tune-up. Defrag your hard drive, get rid of programs that slow down your boot up time or decrease performance. Make sure your computer is performing at its best to help avoid future problems.
5. Make sure you have a phone number and contact available that can access your computer via the internet, if you have a major problem. There are companies that offer services online for a minimal price and are on call should you need them.
6. Store an extra power strip or six way outlet with you so you have any power to plug in your essentials.
7. Take an extra long ethernet cable with you to plug into an internet source for access to the internet. Don't rely on wireless to be available.
What I'm I missing? Do you have any additional items you keep handy?
Enjoy!
David L. Britt, MBA
Olathe, Kansas
David L. Britt Real Estate
Heritage Real Estate
The Heritage Real Estate Team
Olathe Neighbors
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