I took a vacation recently…like a real, true vacation…not something that I have really done since my days before entering in the ACT!, SalesLogix, Wired Contact and MAS consultant profession, 14 years ago.

As usual when planning to take time off from work, I contacted my clients via phone and emails, letting them know of the dates that I would be unavailable. I made arrangements with The CRM Alliance to cover any client emergencies…nothing different as in past years…

Everything was in order: passports, travel itinerary, bags packed, sunscreen purchased, making sure my carry-on bag did not violate any of the liquids, flammables, sharp-object regulations…but something kept nagging at me on the ride to the Harrisburg International Airport…

Thankfully, we got through security, experienced two uneventful flights and an enlightening bus ride through Jamaica…so what was nagging me all this time?

It was not until we got settled in our hotel that I realized what the problem was…

Simple, I took off for the week and did not bring my laptop. I kinda sorta experienced a moment of panic, not true panic, after all I had purposely left my trusty laptop at home. But it did not ‘hit’ me until I looked around the room and there was no means to access the internet. I felt disconnected, out of touch and ultimately, outside my comfort zone..

I knew this fact when we made the reservations. I disabled my Work and Personal email, as well as, gasp, my Facebook notifications on my beloved Blackberry before we left for vacation. The only reason I brought my Blackberry was in case there was an emergency back home and my grown kids needed to contact me, and I stressed the word ‘emergency’ to them…needing money transferred to their bank account does not constitute an emergency.

I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing in the sun, eating way too much and taking long walks for an entire week…I even played volleyball in the pool and got spiked in the nose by some overzealous sport-dude.

You may ask why is this such a big deal that I felt I needed to write about this? Surely, professionals take vacations all the time without their computers and other means of ‘outside’ communication.

The reason is that I felt completely energized upon my return. I had a fresh new attitude, bold, if you will. I realized that even though I love my job as a consultant, I can actually take some time for myself and not think like a consultant 24/7. I returned from my vacation, well, a new person.

I entered my office Monday morning, booted up my 3 computers and went to work, with a smile on my face and in my heart.

Okay, I may not be the most proficient user of my personal time, but I try.  In addition to my professional life as a Sage consultant for ACT!, I serve on several Boards, 2 of which I manage the ACT! databases. Communication between fellow Board members and general members is accomplished mostly via email.  As you can imagine, my Outlook Inbox can get quite overwhelming. 

One of my favorite features as an ACT! user is attaching emails. When I receive and/or reply to an email, I have the ability to attach said email to a Contact or multiple Contacts in ACT!.  I have up to 3 ACT! Address Books to chose from…my Work database or the other 2 databases that I manage.

How has ACT! saved me time in my personal life? When I attend Board meetings, I have all available communications at my finger tips, no more searching through Outlook.  I simply open ACT!, and either Lookup a specific Contact, or if I linked them to a Company, or Group.  I can open all of the attachments, see who the email was sent, and resend or forward if needed. After I attach the email, I delete it from Outlook, which prevents the .pst file becoming too large.

While this great feature is not going to earn me any awards, it does impress my fellow members that I have all of the needed information…as I watch them shuffle through their note pads.