Over the weekend, I wrote about the importance of taking vacations. Whether long or short, I’ve always been a huge advocate of vacations, for the reasons I mentioned in the blog entry Vacations a Thing of the Past?

One thing I realized is that lots of people are taking “pseudo time off.” What that means is, even though they’ve traveled away from home, they will be checking their email, doing work and calling into the office much of the time they’re away.

The problem is, this time off becomes stressful, rather than providing stress relief (which is one of the reasons for taking time off). Cell phones, pagers, PDAs and laptops keep people working, rather than enjoying a stress-free time away from the office.

Here are a few ways to make sure this doesn’t happen to you this summer:

1. Set boundaries. Before you leave, decide the rules for being away. For example, I don’t answer email while I’m traveling—whether traveling for business or pleasure. I don’t cross that line, and people close to me know I will not be responding to email while I’m away. Although I don’t use this tool, you can create vacation messages that let people know you’re away, and when you’ll be back. One you decide on your rules, stick to them, and insist that others do, too.

2. Plan ahead. Before you leave, think about the kinds of things that might come up, and how they can be handled in your absence. If you prepare your team, your key contacts, and your clients or customers for your absence, you will be less likely to be contacted while you’re away.

3. Remember why you’re away. Whether you’re gone for two days or two weeks, remember the reason why you’re taking the time off. Whether it’s to get away for “thinking time”, or to enjoy the vacation of a lifetime with your family, be sure to honor and enjoy that time away from work.

4. If you must work, schedule it. Sometimes, there are unavoidable circumstances. If you know that you will need to be on an important conference call for an hour while you’re on vacation, then go ahead and do it. Just be sure to set limits, and honor them. If you’re wondering whether those limits are reasonable or not, just ask your spouse or children.

Follow the guidelines above, and you will return home feeling rested, relaxed and rejuvenated—rather than feeling like you need a vacation after being away. Try it. You’ll be glad you did!

* * * * *

What other tips can you think of for not working while on vacation? What success stories (or horror stories) do you have related to technology and vacations? Please share your thoughts.