Some of you have noticed – many of you probably have not – but I have not submitted a blog in the last few weeks. I wish I had some incredible excuse. You know, maybe something to do with preparing for an argument before the Supreme Court.

My excuse – vacation! A bachelor party to be exact.

You see, this was the first significant period of time that I was going to be out of the office at my new firm, and I wasn’t entirely sure how to handle it. So, I neglected my Generation J.D. responsibilities, and used the time to do my best to prepare. In hindsight, I should have blogged as my preparation was simply an exercise in futility.

At first, I thought I would handle the files on my desk the same way I would handle preparing to go out of town. Simple, right? Make a list, and start checking things off as you get them done.

Confirm reservations – check. Print boarding pass – check. Pack the SPF – check. Bail money – check.

A few weeks before the trip, I did my best to get everything in order. I made my “to do” list of tasks for each of my active files, and I started crossing things off. I drafted the motions. I responded to discovery. I contacted each of my clients, be it by phone or email, to let them know that I was not going to be available for a few days, and they could direct inquiries to someone else in the office.

I wanted everything done before I left because I wanted a clean desk. I wanted it all done before leaving because I knew that my desk was going to look like a bomb went off when I got back, and I didn’t want to be digging through new work to get to old work.

The day before I was set to leave, I was confident I had accomplished everything I needed to. Thinking I had successfully dotted all of my “I’s and crossed all of my “T’s,” I went to Key West for a long weekend, and Duval Street certainly helped to ease any concerns I had about my desk.

The Keys were awesome! The situation I came back to… not so much.

In total, I missed three days of work. It might as well have been a month! Every case I was involved in had an “emergency.” Any client I had ever spoken to sent an email or left a voicemail requiring immediate attention. It’s almost as if they have some kind of sick sixth sense that lets them know you aren’t going to be around, and now is their best opportunity to provide you that key piece of information you need to act on.

How did this happen? Where was my oversight?

Coming back from vacation is always a drag. Especially when your return flight stops in Orlando to pick up every screaming toddler that wasn’t happy about leaving Disney World. So, I’m reaching out for advice.

What do you do to prepare for being out of the office for an extended period of time? What can I do to make my return to the office after a vacation as pleasurable as possible? Please comment below to let me know what I should have done so I don’t repeat my mistakes.

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