When you’re an entrepreneur it can be difficult to get a real vacation. You’re at the helm of your ship and you might not want to let go of your wheel, even if it’s only for a short period of time.
Checking out on vacation is incredibly difficult for entrepreneurs, and more often than not, it’s because you don’t want to. You’d much rather work all the hours you can for yourself, instead of working 40 hours a week for someone else’s company.
However, even the busiest and savviest entrepreneurs need to take time out. In fact, the more jam-packed your schedule is, the more likely it is that you need a vacation. Granted, it might not be easy to take this break but it’s good for your mental well-being, health, and perhaps even your business.
Create Your Own “Peak” Season
It’s inevitable that most people will want to take a trip during the warmer summer months, which is why this is a great time to take off as an entrepreneur. Your clients and business contacts will also be out of the office, so you’ll have a lighter workload that you can leave behind with ease.
However, if you have employees, summer vacations can be an issue because your entire workforce wants to go off on their trips at the same time. If this is the case, try creating your own peak travel times by scheduling vacations out of season. Or, take several shorter breaks during busy periods, heading off on a city break or a relaxing weekend. Create a good balance that works, don’t just “accept” you can’t find the time to go away.
Leave Your Troubles (and Wi-Fi) at Home
You’ve booked a vacation but are you actually going to switch off? Or are you going to be refreshing your emails every ten minutes?
According to one study, 10% of Americans aren’t able to relax when they’re on vacation, and 76% will be checking emails and voicemails while they’re away. Ultimately, if you’re going on vacation, you need to be able to switch off and escape from the office.
Although a lot of hotels, like the Marriott Philadelphia West, will offer great Wi-Fi facilities, if you don’t take any work-related devices with you, like your computer or tablet, you won’t be as tempted to connect. And if you do need to check up on how things are back home, designate a certain amount of time to do this in (i.e. 10 minutes) so you’re not constantly on your phone.
When you’ve decided to go on vacation and recharge your batteries, don’t let work spoil this. This may mean you need to make a conscious effort to leave work behind, whether that’s keeping your work phone switched off or leaving your laptop behind.
But by doing this, you’ll create a much more relaxing atmosphere for yourself, and as hard as you think it may be at the start, we’re pretty sure you’ll be enjoying the lack of responsibilities by the end of your vacation! Then, when you return you’ll have a renewed sense of creativity and productivity, which will be invaluable to your business.
