“Staycations” for lawyers – can they work?

The economy is taking its toll on Americans’ summer vacation plans. All of a sudden, the ‘staycation’ – staying home (or close to home) instead of traveling for vacation – is getting a lot of attention in the media. Rising costs mean less disposable income, and travel costs are skyrocketing, making travel a very expensive proposition.

But can lawyers actually take ‘staycations?’ Or will taking a ‘staycation’ just mean that you work the entire summer, without actually taking time off?

Whether you’re a solo, a small firm practitioner, or you work for a big firm, don’t fall into the trap of turning your ‘staycation’ into even more work. If you want your ‘staycation’ be a true break and an opportunity to relax and re-charge, it is imperative that you treat your staycation like any other vacation:

Schedule (or ask for) the time off in advance. Don’t think that just because you’re taking a ‘staycation,’ you can wait until things slow down or that you can take your staycation on the fly. If you don’t plan for the time in advance, you’ll never take it.

Treat your ‘staycation’ time as sacred – act as if you have non-refundable plane tickets. Don’t let your boss, your clients, or yourself treat your ‘staycation’ as less important or less concrete than a traveling vacation would be. If you think your staff or your clients won’t understand why you’re unavailable even though you’re only five minutes from the office, don’t tell them you’re taking a staycation. Pretend you’re out of town.

Get prepared at the office.Prepare for your staycation the same way you would if you were traveling: schedule appointments around the days you’re taking off, clean off your desk, change your voice mail, put your backup systems into place the same way you would if you were going away.

Make a plan. If you were traveling, you’d make specific plans and decide where you wanted to go and what you wanted to do when you got there. Treat your ‘staycation’ the same way: even if you’re staying close to home, decide what you want to do. Look for local events, concerts, fairs, etc. and purchase tickets in advance if possible. If money is tight, search for free events. Decide on a day at the beach, a picnic in the park, a visit to a local museum or historical site, etc.

While you can be flexible and you don’t have to schedule everything, you also don’t want to waste your time off trying to decide how to spend it –or being tempted to get caught up in email, work telephone messages, etc.