How to switch off from work while you’re on holiday……

Taking a break from work whilst you are on holiday is so important.  You need time away from work in order to recharge and come back feeling refreshed.  As a business coach I regularly work with owners who struggle to take meaningful time off, resulting in feelings of stress, anxiety and exhaustion.   In common with elite athletes business owners need to take time out, however, this can be very hard to achieve.

This blog post aims to set out some strategies and tips that you might find useful and enable you to feel happy and confident stepping away from your business so that you can take that well earned holiday.

  • It’s important to take a holiday – As hard as that might be to do, as a business owner you really do need to lead by example and take your holiday. Psychologically it’s important too as time out will enable you to relax, unwind and recharge.   It’s also important to allow yourself the time to reconnect with your life outside of work, whether thatis by spending time with your family and friends or simply doing those activities that you love.
  • Banish Guilt – You are entitled to take a holiday. Not taking one is tantamount to taking a pay cut. If you don’t take some time out you run the risk of making yourself ill and even burning out.
  • Delegate – Try to complete as much of your work as possible but those tasks you don’t quite manage to can be delegated. Learning how to delegate is an important skill to master as a business owner.  By delegating you are also showing trust in your team and giving them the chance to shine.
  • Email – Prioritise and aim to get your important ones either dealt with, or delegated to someone else. If there are any left send a holding email so that the person knows they will be dealt with on your return.   .  Setting your out of office response is also important, don’t forget to signpost people to key personnel who can help in your absence.   If you must check your email whilst on holiday restrict yourself to a short 10 minute session at either the beginning or the end of the day.
  • Switch Off from Social Media – if you use social media for work then taking a break from it over your holiday will really help you to relax and unwind. If it is really important then you will soon know about it!
  • Get some perspective – Taking a holiday should help you to realise that you are not   Your business will probably continue without you, just in a slightly different way.  Holidays are opportunities for others to take over for you and show leadership etc that can help them on their career path.
  • Don’t be tempted to call in – You don’t want to be thought of as a control freak. Leaving your office for two weeks and allowing your team to run it without you shows trust.  They would much rather see you return bronzed, relaxed and bearing gifts and funny stories, then calling in every 5 minutes to check up on them.

ENJOY