Take Time Off

Being an entrepreneur is a blessing, but it’s not always easy.

Working yourself to death is not a recipe for success.  You can’t be at your best when you are working 14-hour days, barely seeing family or friends, and putting self-care completely on the back burner.

There is a reason the flight attendant tells you to put your oxygen mask on first!

But how do you take time off when there is so much to do, and you don’t know what will come up?

The answer is, you plan for it, and make it sacred.

I mark out at least 6 weeks a year as “me time”.  Sometimes it’s when I’m traveling and I’m taking a week to enjoy the city I’m visiting.

Sometimes it’s to spend time with family or for a particular holiday. 

I’m planning 3 weeks off over the next two months.  One week planned for San Diego around an event I’m speaking at and 2 weeks to join a friend in Idaho and Yellowstone.

And when I declare that space for time off, I make it pretty much non-negotiable.

Now, I’m not saying it’s easy.  It’s pretty simple to block out time on your calendar, right?  But that doesn’t mean you’ll follow through on actually booking the plane tickets or not slip in a bunch of calls during your “staycation”.

But it is possible…and here are 4 steps to make it a success.

• Right now, mark out at least 4 weeks in the next year that you’ll go pretty much “off the grid”. 

Personally, I go for 6 weeks or more, but at least start with 4!  Simply the act of doing this will increase the chances that you will actually take time off!

• Next, see what business activities will get in the way of you taking that time off.

If you have a launch planned for September 1, it’s not likely you’ll be going on vacation that week and out of touch.  So plan for it.

That might mean moving your vacation, but what if you first asked what is “magic” about September 1 for your launch?  Could it be moved back or up and be successful just as easily?

Go through your calendar and make changes to your timing on business initiatives and your off time to optimize both.

• Determine what support you need to have in place to make it happen.

The biggest reason most entrepreneurs don’t take time off is that they feel like if they aren’t working in their business nothing will get done, and they will fall behind in time or revenue.

And that is likely true, if you don’t have the right tools and support systems in place.  Things like a VA who can check your social media channels while you are gone and respond for you (even if it’s to tell someone you are on vacation!), automated email campaigns that work for you 24/7, or an evergreen marketing funnel that brings you clients without you having to be there.

This is an important one, because until you set your business up in a way that it’s not 100% dependent on you being there to serve your clients and nurture potential clients, you will ALWAYS be captive to your business.  

And it’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

That’s worse than a J.O.B.

• Commit to putting the support you need in place.

You don’t have to do this all at once!  With your list from above in hand, use my Rule of Three to decide what three things will give you the most freedom and flexibility for your business to run without you.

Then make a plan to implement them before the first week you marked out on your calendar.  Once you have those nailed, move out to the next three freedom moves and implement them.

Before you know it, you’ll be taking time off without the headaches and worries.

And I promise, your business will be better off for it.  You’ll return refreshed and ready to take on what’s next.

What will you do with your first planned time off?  Share with us in the comments below.

To what’s possible!