What’s the first rule of going on holiday for an independent business owner?

Work Smart Not Hard Tip No. 40 in a series written for Indie Cambs

Do you feel you have to deserve a holiday in order to enjoy it?

Can you enjoy it guilt free? Do you switch off completely or check in every day, just in case?

Do you use OOO emails? (A lot of people find them really annoying and they increase your carbon footprint.)

Have you automated your social media posts? Do you still check your feed anyway? Please don’t tell me you post pictures of yourself on holiday to “prove you’re switching off”!

This advice doesn’t just apply to the summer months, you can use it for whatever time of year you take a break.

The first rule of going on holiday is to wind down gently in the week before your holiday, coming down through the gears and not braking hard to slam to a full stop. This avoids wasting the first week of the holiday trying to switch off and probably getting ill as your adrenaline levels drop.

When you come back, reverse that process – easing in gently and not trying to go straight into top gear with a lot of wheel spin.

Feeling a desperate need for a break can mean that the business isn’t set quite right as the whole point of us running our own businesses is to fulfil a lifestyle that we choose. Making sure that the business can run without you for a couple of weeks means that for many self-employed people, the best part of a holiday is coming home.

Any feelings of guilt, or that you can only take a holiday if you “deserve” it are something to think about and maybe try to figure out why you feel that way. There may be family sayings about being idle or lazy that are playing into that and there is also a culture of “competitive busyness” that is best avoided.

In the meantime, happy holidays and if you have any thoughts you’d like to explore, please get in touch.