I spent time recently taking a complete break from my business. I handled one time sensitive task over email but had done all of my work for the task ahead of time so that all I had to do was forward an email to my printer. I spent my time hanging out with my family and enjoying being with them. I read a lot of books (I think 5!). And I slept late since I wasn’t trying to fit work in when the kids were asleep.
It was amazing.
When I got back I did have some work that required my immediate attention but taking an actual, 100% break from the business meant that I was refreshed and excited about getting back to my tasks and wasn’t still worn out like I was before I left. I found myself working much faster yesterday than I have been lately just because I had more energy.
I want to encourage you to take some time this summer to step away from your business too. Whether it’s simply totally disconnecting for the weekend or for a week or two while you go on vacation, try to take time to rest and take your mind off of the constant pressures that you face when you run your own business.
To help you disconnect I’ve got three tips that will help you step away if you simply do a little planning.
Prepare your clients
Your clients should want you to be your best self which requires taking a step back from your business every once in a while. As long as you fulfill your responsibilities to them they should only be happy for you (and if they aren’t, maybe you should find new clients!). But you don’t need to just announce that you’re leaving for a seven day vacation tomorrow and expect them to be happy about it. Bring it up in a client meeting a few weeks before you leave and explain how you will fulfill your commitments either before you leave or when you return to keep their project on track. If you don’t have ongoing clients but work on a quicker turnaround, post an image to your social media accounts, update your status in your Etsy shop (or put it in vacation mode or extend your turnaround times), and send an email to your list to manage their expectations. You don’t have to tell them that you’re leaving your house unless you want to (there are privacy concerns, of course) but simply announce that you’re taking some time to recharge and will be back at work on a certain date ready to put some exciting new plans in place!
Plan your email strategy
We probably all have our work email on our phone which can be a blessing and a curse. Before you leave plan your email strategy. Take advantage of the tools that most email servers have like auto-filtering and archiving messages. If you set it up to put the emails that you know you’ll need to deal with first when you get back in one folder and put everything else in another then you’ll know where your sorting needs to occur first when you get back. This will not only allow you to not be overwhelmed with your inbox when you get back, but always keep it under control! You can also leverage tools like vacation mode or an autoresponder to let anyone who emails you know that you’re currently out of the office but will reply by a certain date. This will take care of managing expectations for any new clients that email you while you’re gone.
Find a solution for anything that can’t be deferred until you get back
Take a look at everything that you have going on for your business and figure out a way to handle anything that can’t be delayed until you return from your time off. This might mean setting up automation systems or hiring someone to outsource those tasks to while you’re gone. There are a variety of ways that you can handle these types of tasks without having to do them yourself manually. (If you need some help setting these types of things up I currently have an offer that does just that for only $99.) And, in reality, unless your company is really large there should only be a few things that absolutely can’t be put on the back burner until you return from vacation.
I know that I feel like a new woman after taking a solid week to myself and my family. I love my business but working on it every day takes a lot of energy and dedication and it was nice to let those things go while I was gone and just focus on enjoying time with my family.
If you have any questions about how to implement the things that I’ve discussed in this email or want to chat more, please feel free to email me. I love talking with moms in business and would love to talk with you. And, as a bonus, you’ll get back my autoresponder that’s always on for my inbox and you’re welcome to swipe the copy and make it work for you!
