How to keep your office manager urges at bay on holiday

If you are an office manager, it is likely you are a highly organised individual, the type that puts the items in their fridge in alphabetical order. For those priceless people that are responsible for the running of our work place, a day without checking their inbox is something akin to Chinese water torture.

After compiling a hand-over which bears an uncanny resemblance to Leo Tolstoy's novel, War and Peace, the typical office manager will have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the building. So because we realise if anyone needs to unwind, it's them, here are some tips for office managers to fight their natural administrative urges while away:

Instead of checking your emails, read a book! Novels are a great way to get lost in a fantasy world that doesn't force you to consider 'whether or not Martin has sent that invoice yet'.

If you have done well at keeping up a 'digital detox', don't spoil it by opening your work computer. Write a postcard to send to your loved ones, rather than writing reports, and remember, you needn't double check them for grammatical errors!

And how about stacking the towels in your room instead of files for once?

Holidays are also a good opportunity to get your diet in gear, and if you are a caffeine junkie, this could mean drinking water to stay hydrated rather than coffee to keep awake. Cleanse your system, sleep like a rock, and wake up with thoughts of being healthy and active, not wondering whether IT finally managed to get round to installing those updates.

Trips overseas are chances to enjoy the company of those you know, and meet some great new people you don't. You should note that discussing the going rate for printer ink is not considered an acceptable conversation topic in an out of office setting.

If we must relate everything back to the office - remember that the more you can switch off and have a good time, the more ammunition you will have for some water cooler anecdotes on your return.