It’s that time of year. Kids are out of school. Or, you ma have weddings or graduations to attend or a great vacation planned. With us just recently celebrating Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer, there are a lot of people going on or at least planning their summer vacation.
For most entrepreneurs, the hard part of a vacation, at any time of the year, is that most of us are connected to our smartphones, laptops or contact with our clients — all the time.
The question is — can you unplug? Or… do you even want to?
Many entrepreneurs and even corporate workers find modern vacations include some kind of being connected to the mothership or clients while they are out of the office. If that is the case for you, you may want to consider setting up a vacation plan.
A plan, that is communicated to those around you, makes it easier for you and other family members to feel like you truly are on vacation and , not just changing locations.
Seven Steps When Planning A Vacation:
- Plan in advance. Get ahead of due dates and complete work early so you don’t have to stress while you are gone.
- Give a contact list and update to an associate you trust. Consider swapping coverage with another entrepreneur. When you are on vacation, they take your calls and vice versa.
- Tell your clients and vendors you will be out of town and will have no or limited access. It is best if you tell them the optimal way they can contact you if absolutely needed.
- Change your voicemail and email message and let people know you will not be available.
- If you must work on vacation, set up scheduled times to do so. It may not be everyday, or the same time everyday, but if you have to, schedule an hour or two for work. Then close you computer and go off and have fun!
- Schedule a day or two when you get back to take care of those fire drills that may have come up along the way.
- Stop and take a minute to breathe. While you are on vacation you really do need to take the time to unplug or you likely will not have experienced the chance to recharge.
