How To Switch Off And Enjoy Your Holiday When Running A Business: Handy Tips!
So the summer holidays are upon us, and for many, this is a time to take a break, relax and spend time with friends and family, hopefully with a beach in sight and a cocktail/mocktail in hand.
However, for those running their own business, sometimes holidays can mean business as usual, only sitting by a pool instead of in the office.
And that’s not great, it is? We all work better after a break, so how can you take one when you run your own business?
Our handy guide below should help:
Update your clients and team
Tell them you are on holiday and will be taking a break. If you manage their expectations, they will respect these. You may even find your clients are on a break too.
Set your out-of-office
you can be as formal or creative as you or your industry allows. Give yourself a breather day for your first day back in the office. This allows for delays in your journey, jet lag recovery, and also to go through any emails that need your attention.
Delegate
if you have a team, see what tasks they can pick up while you are away. If this is currently zero – plan some training in the future to ensure this is not the case next time you take a break.
Schedule your social media
you don’t have to post every day. Direct to the platform! There are numerous planning tools out there that will allow you to schedule content in advance to keep that presence going.
Hire a VA
Of course, we would say that wouldn’t we? You can work with a VA specifically for holiday cover. They can reply to emails on your behalf, check your diary and add in appointments, reply with price lists etc. Yes, you must complete some training and hand over to them before leaving. But it will relieve the pressure.
Communicate
If you have to work when you are away, set times you will do this. Communicate this to your team, clients AND your family and then stick to them! So if you say I will be online at 2 pm every day for 1 hour, don’t suddenly go on at 5 pm. However, choose your time wisely – you don’t want to be on a speedboat trip and suddenly remember you are meant to be working. If it’s easier, agree on times with your family daily, based on the activities you want to do. But outside these times, put the laptop and work phone down!
Turn off notifications
many of us will never be in a life-or-death situation where we must respond within seconds. So turn off all notifications on your phone (even better, have a separate work phone). This includes social media, banking and emails.
Remember you are on holiday.
Your kids want to spend time with you, and your other half wants to spend time with you. Nobody will look back fondly and say, “Ooh do you remember that holiday when you spent all the time in the room working” …..
Have you got any other tried and tested ways of taking a break as a small business owner? Why not share them with us?
If you are interested in enquiring about VA services and support whilst you’re away, you can contact us here
#Holiday #TakeABreak
