This is your IdeaShape monthly newsletter, May 2001,
with ideas on leadership and life.
By Pam Fox Rollin, IdeaShape Coaching & Consulting
http://www.ideashape.com

Contents
A. The Big Idea
B. Ideas in Action
C. Resources
D. Note from Pam

KNOW ANYONE WHO MAY ENJOY THIS?
Feel free to forward this newsletter to interested friends and colleagues.
For a complimentary subscription to this monthly newsletter,
they can newsletter@ideashape.com

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A. The Big Idea: Maybe it's time for a real break!

"There is more to life than increasing its speed.
~ Mohandas K. Gandhi."

"I got no deeds to do, no promises to keep."
~ Paul Simon

Take a moment to recall your last vacation...
Did you take your computer? Check voicemail daily?
Work in a few conference calls?

Can you remember a time (perhaps before you even had email or
a cell phone) when vacation was all play and no work?

Any difference in the depth of your relaxation? the delight of
your family? your sense of renewal when you returned home?

What would it be like to take your next vacation free of
"deeds to do" and "promises to keep"?

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B. Ideas in Action: How do you leave it all behind?

1. Decide how important a break is to you.

- Are you feeling run down and overworked?
- Are your wrists aching from hours at the keyboard?
- Is your sweetie/family craving attention?
- Do you just want a break?

2. Determine what unplugged means to you.

- You'll be completely unreachable? or
- Your assistant will be able to contact you with urgent matters? or
- You'll check voicemail every few days?

3. Lay the groundwork.

- Organize your work so that milestones are hit before your vacation.
- Create owners for ongoing work and loose ends.
- Set up a decision tree for how to handle incoming issues.

4. Communicate with stakeholders.

- Early: Start setting expectations ASAP.
- Often: Include your vacation dates as a footnote to emails and workplans.
- Everyone: Clients, colleagues, family, community organizations, etc.

5. Handle the logistics... know before you go!

Voicemail:
- Leave a clear message with the date you'll be back and
who to contact in the interim.
- Let callers know whether you'll be checking messages
and on what schedule.
- If you say you'll be taking your cell phone or pager,
check to see if there's coverage where you're going.
- If you really don't want messages, consider setting your box
not to accept them.

Email:
- Weigh the pros and cons of using an "Out of Office"
Autoresponder ... yes, senders will know you're unable to reply,
but if you're on a lot of group lists, many people will get multiple notices;
also, do you really want anyone who emails you to know you're out of town?
- Consider instead notifying frequent correspondents that
you'll be unavailable by email during that period, and/or
having a trusted associate screen your emails for anything urgent.
- If you do agree to check email every so often, consider creating
a separate web-based account, and give the address only to your
assistant, team, and clients to use for urgent matters.
- Above all, work with your ISP to make sure your box can handle
overflow. It can take just a few days for newsletters and friends sending
baby photos to completely clog your email. (I learned this the hard way!)

6. Stick to it!

The planet functioned fine before you got here.
It will be OK while you take a break.

7. Give yourself a day when you get home.

Before the onslaught of "now that you're back" calls,
take a day to plow through emails, voicemail, and snail mail.
Throw away or delete everything that's questionable, and
tackle the rest in priority order. Use this day to check in with clients...
I bet they'll welcome you back with little resentment and lots of admiration!

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C. Resources

May you leave behind the content-rich books I usually recommend
and instead enjoy some fabulous hammock reading!

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D. Note from Pam

I didn't exactly plan to write about "vacations" as a newsletter topic.
It started when I went on vacation earlier this month.
In advance I sent this email:

~ ~
Dear clients, colleagues, and friends,

I will be on vacation April 23 - May 7. Usually,
when I'm on vacation, I maintain some phone and email contact.
This time, I'd love to be wholly unplugged.

Please contact me in the next couple days if there's something you may need
while I'm gone. You're welcome to send emails which I will check when I
get back... feel free to mark yours Highest Priority if you would like me
to read it first thing when I return. Please avoid sending me large
attachments, as this may cause other emails to bounce.

If you have an urgent need to reach me, please contact my assistant,
(info included). She has emergency numbers for the houses we're renting.

Outside of this break for reflection and adventure, I am delighted to have
each of you in my life!

Mahalo (thank you) and Aloha,
Pam
~ ~

Whew! This email struck home!
I received a slew of messages... mostly "I wanna do this!"
Then clients kept asking me "HOW?"
Is it possible we're so used to being fully available
that we've forgotten how to extract ourselves for a
couple weeks of rest?!

Each month you receive this email with ideas and resources
you can use to shape your success. Some of these ideas may
strike you as obvious... I invite you to step back and look at
how this is actually working in your life. Others may seem
far out... I invite you to consider how much choice you
actually have. If you'd like to get in touch about any of this,
please email me. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Aloha,
Pam

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EXECUTIVE COACHES:
Want to strengthen your skills at observational coaching?
Join Elizabeth Carrington and me for our workshop "The Shadow Knows:
Going Deeper Faster Live" at the Coaches@Work conference, June 9.
http://www.bayareacoaches.com

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WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO...
Expand your capacity to take on bigger opportunities?
Lead your organization to bring out the best around you?
Be your most creative, focused self in your work?
Shape a life that consistently fulfills you?

Contact us for coaching, facilitation, leadership development,
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (R), and related services that help
executives, fast-trackers, teams, and professionals
achieve their goals faster and more easily.

TO CONTACT US
To offer feedback, submit ideas for articles or resources,
or explore working together, pamfox@ideashape.com
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