If you work for yourself, you know the dilemma of taking a vacation: should you pay someone to work while you’re away? If you can’t pay someone else to do your job, do you bring work with you? If you’re working while on vacation, is that really a vacation?
Being self employed makes taking vacations really difficult. Even if you manage to have someone work while you’re away or you can bring some work to do on your trip, you still feel like you’re losing ground. Here are some tips for the self employed to sit back and relax during vacation:
Before you leave:
- Make sure all of your client/customers know you will be away and that you will get back to them when you return.
- Organize all of your files, invoices and paperwork so you return to an organized office/work space and can hit the ground running.
- Change phone and email messages to alert people that you are away.
- If no one will be working in your place while you are gone, have a trusted friend or business associate be an emergency contact while you are away.
If you own a brick & mortar business, make sure a trusted friend or associate is physically checking in on your location at least every other day.
While you’re on vacation:
- Hide your phone in a drawer while you’re out during the day so you can’t check it.
- If you must check your messages, limit yourself to ONCE per day.
- Only respond to messages that are absolutely urgent.
- If you must work while on vacation, set aside one or two hours very early in the day or in the mid-afternoon when everyone else is resting.
- Try to relax.
When you get home:
- Keep working hard so you can take another vacation.
Bon voyage!