WEBVTT - Plan for a smooth re-entry

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to prepare for a smooth reentry before you

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<v Speaker 1>head out of town. Planning for re entry will help

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<v Speaker 1>make sure that the relaxed vibe you bring back from

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<v Speaker 1>vacation lasts a little longer instead of being eclipsed by

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<v Speaker 1>a harried return to normal life. So from time to time,

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<v Speaker 1>I hear from people who say it isn't worth it

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<v Speaker 1>to take time off because returning to their various obligations

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<v Speaker 1>after time away feels so exhausting. And I get that

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<v Speaker 1>nobody likes to come back to a ridiculous inbox and

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<v Speaker 1>no clean laundry, particularly if a flight delay means you're

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<v Speaker 1>home later that you planned. But coming back to chaos

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<v Speaker 1>and never going on vacation are not your only two options.

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<v Speaker 1>A third option is to take vacation time and before

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<v Speaker 1>you go, prepare for a smooth return. There are a

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<v Speaker 1>few potential sources of post vacation chaos that a little

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<v Speaker 1>advanced planning can help you with. On the household front,

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<v Speaker 1>I know that some people actually come back a day

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<v Speaker 1>earlier than they need to, in order to do all

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<v Speaker 1>the laundry and grocery shop. That is one solution, but

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<v Speaker 1>if you don't get that much vacation time, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>want you to feel like you have to cut things short.

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<v Speaker 1>Another option is that when you are packing, you pull

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<v Speaker 1>out one to two outfits for everyone to lay out

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<v Speaker 1>for your first day or two back. Now, you may

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<v Speaker 1>discover that someone doesn't actually own enough socks to make

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<v Speaker 1>that possible, but hey, if you are doing this before

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<v Speaker 1>your trip, you could order some socks. Amazon will have

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<v Speaker 1>them there for you when you return. If everyone has

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<v Speaker 1>two outfits ready to go, then no one needs to

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<v Speaker 1>do laundry until a day or two after you get back.

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<v Speaker 1>That buys you time. Now, if you are the one

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<v Speaker 1>who does all the laundry and you are headed out

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<v Speaker 1>of town without your family, will first congratulations enjoy the

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<v Speaker 1>break from doing laundry. It might be worth having a

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<v Speaker 1>special conversation with whoever will be with your family, whether

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<v Speaker 1>that's your partner, a grandparent, or a sitter, about doing

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<v Speaker 1>everyone's wash at least once in your absence. Don't assume

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<v Speaker 1>be straightforward, as in, please do everyone's laundry on Thursday.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you. If you don't think that will happen. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>go ahead and pull out two outfits for your kids

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<v Speaker 1>and yourself for the two days after your return. Squirrel

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<v Speaker 1>them away somewhere so no one wears them. Are ready.

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<v Speaker 1>Groceries can be another sore point. Think through the food

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<v Speaker 1>you might need for the day or two after your return.

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<v Speaker 1>One easy option is to order groceries for pickup or

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<v Speaker 1>delivery right after you get home. You might also have

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<v Speaker 1>plans for things that don't actually require new groceries. Pasta

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<v Speaker 1>and a jar of sauce from your pantry plus a

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<v Speaker 1>frozen veggie that you can heat up can easily be

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<v Speaker 1>dinner even if you've been gone for a week or more.

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<v Speaker 1>Keep pizza dough in your freezer and canned soups in

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<v Speaker 1>your pantry, and now you can have soup and fresh

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<v Speaker 1>bread for a meal when you bake that dough. Add

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<v Speaker 1>in some frozen veggies to the soup to make them

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<v Speaker 1>healthier and wow, sounding fairly nice. If your kids normally

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<v Speaker 1>bring packed lunches to school, well, the first two days

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<v Speaker 1>after a vacation are a great opportunity to try out

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<v Speaker 1>the school lunch offerings and take this off your to

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<v Speaker 1>do list. Both work and family activities can also be

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<v Speaker 1>a big source of stress, So before you go, look

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<v Speaker 1>at the week after your return. What do you have

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<v Speaker 1>coming up? If you've got a big meeting at work

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<v Speaker 1>two days after your return, you will feel less rushed

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<v Speaker 1>if you do some of the preparation before your vacation,

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<v Speaker 1>including sending anything you need to your colleagues so they

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<v Speaker 1>can prepare in your absence. Your family calendar should also

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<v Speaker 1>have anything impending on it too, so look ahead to

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<v Speaker 1>the week post vacation and deal with anything that could

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<v Speaker 1>be a crisis. Order that present for your kids friend's party.

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<v Speaker 1>Make sure you have located the racket and shoes for

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<v Speaker 1>someone's first tennis lesson, ask if your sitter can stay late,

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<v Speaker 1>because you can see that you have a work dinner

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<v Speaker 1>on Tuesday and your spouse is normally scheduled to work

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<v Speaker 1>that night. As I have recommended in previous Before Breakfast episodes,

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<v Speaker 1>it's also a good idea to be in touch with

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<v Speaker 1>your closest colleagues and clients well in advance of your

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<v Speaker 1>time away so you can coordinate timelines. That way, you

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<v Speaker 1>are less likely to come back to a big urgent

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<v Speaker 1>project unexpectedly. While a smooth reentry isn't quite as nice

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<v Speaker 1>as a day at the beach, It is worth spending

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<v Speaker 1>a little time making this happen. Having a plan for

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<v Speaker 1>re entry will mean the days after vacation go more smoothly,

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<v Speaker 1>and your feelings of refreshment may last longer. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a product of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.