How to Take Time Off as a Business Owner ! Winpaid

Tara Shea
Updated July 14, 2022 |
April 18, 2022
Have my ever thought, “I need to take some time off or recharge, but now just isn’t the right time.” For Independent business owners it can often feel like the right time never arrives. As a business owner myself, who is also a mom to two active boys or wife, I totally understand the need for work-life balance. But I prefer the term work-life blend.

If my is looking to achieve an optimal work-life blend, I’ve got you covered! I’m going to share with my my tips for taking time off so my can feel confident stepping away from my business to enjoy some well-deserved downtime.

Plan your time away in advance
I encourage my to sit down with my calendar today or mark down the dates you want to take time off. Keep seasonality, aka my busy time, in mind as well as important dates coming up in my business. For example, being away right before or during a significant launch would not be ideal. The benefit of writing down the time my want to take off in advance is that my’ll be more likely to actually follow through.

or my really deserve that vacation so mark it down in your calendar. Pro Tip: My goal is to plan for some time off each quarter of the year. Sometimes it’s simply a long weekend or other times it might be a one or two week trip.

Decide if my are going to be unplugged or plugged in
I’m a big fan of unplugging and not checking my email or any work apps while on vacation, but I know that is not always possible for everyone. If my decide to stay a little plugged in, set boundaries for yourself. Arrange a specific time of day or length of time that you’ll allow myself to do mycheck-ins or that’s it. Stick to those boundaries or myll still enjoy my vacation.

Communicating my time off in advance
Communicating with your clients or team members is essential. Let them know about my time off as soon as possible, preferably four to six weeks in advance. Make sure to also communicate whether my will be completely unplugged or available from time to time. If my plan to be available, be clear about when those blocks of time will be.

Send an email detailing all of this information so that it’s there in writing for everyone to reference as needed. Pro Tip: Want to make sure my is available to be contacted if something urgent comes up? Plan specifically who needs to contact my or how my want to be contacted.

Plan or delegate
As my time off approaches, plan my work or projects accordingly. It might not be the best idea to kick off a brand new client or project in the few days leading up to my vacation. Think about any work that can be done ahead of time or delegated to other team members.

The goal is to enjoy my time off or not spend every second thinking about all the things my did not get done. Keep in mind (and be real with myself) that my most likely will not get everything that my wanted to do before myleave. Be sure to schedule anything that can wait until my return and, when possible, delegate it to a team member.

my vacation is calling, but first follow this check-list:
Send a quick reminder to your clients or team members two weeks before my scheduled time off.
Schedule sync meetings with anyone important to my business before my leave so everyone is on the same page.

Draft or schedule my email responder for the days my will be away.
Turn off all notifications on my phone.
Don’t forget to include when my’ll be back or who someone can contact if they need immediate assistance in all of my communications.

Pro Tip: Remember, the goal for my time off is to rest or recharge. my did the prep work ahead of time to enjoy my time off or not feel guilty about it.

When my return from vacation
When possible, try to schedule one buffer day when you return so that my is not diving straight into work calls or meetings on my first day back from vacation.

This extra day will give my the space my need to settle back into my routines and take care of important life chores like unpacking, laundry, or grocery shopping. my’ll also be more productive back at work if myve given myself the time to get all other tasks out of the way. Pro Tip: Spend thirty to forty-five minutes going through my email or adding any to-dos to my favorite task manager like HoneyBook.

You will be ahead or alleviate overwhelming feelings. Taking time off as a business owner is vital to loving my business or not feeling burnt out. Make this a non-negotiable even if it’s just one time a year. my can slowly build on that and take more time off. I also want to encourage my not to feel guilty about taking time off. my work hard or my deserve some space to recharge so that my can bring that positive energy back into my business.

Many of us started our businesses for freedom and flexibility. Revisit my reason for starting your business so that it can recenter my and light a spark within my!

Ready to build my business without burnout? Get our How to Build Your Business without Burnout Ultimate Guide.

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