How Busy Entrepreneurs Can Make Time for Vacation: 11 Expert Tips

Even successful entrepreneurs can have some bad habits, one of which is not knowing when they need a break. With many young entrepreneurs, it’s almost impossible to take a step back and relax. Yet studies have shown that entrepreneurs who don’t take time out to smell the roses can risk serious health problems and unhappiness later on.

Vacations for Busy Entrepreneurs

The goal of being a successful yet happy businessperson is being able to distance yourself from your business. Occasional vacations are crucial in ensuring you keep your perspective. That’s why we asked 11 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following:

“As an entrepreneur, it can sometimes seem impossible to take a day off. What’s one tip you’d give busy entrepreneurs for how to make a summer vacation possible?”

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

1. Set a Date and Stick to It

“Set a vacation date and make it nonnegotiable. You can let your team know that you’re available for an hour or two on certain days, but setting boundaries is critical to taking time off. You should also ensure your team has all the tools they need to complete their work while you’re out of the office.” ~ Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC

2. Make Yourself Unavailable

“Schedule two days off at minimum and make yourself unavailable for most, if not all, of the day. It is very easy to say, ‘I’m just going to check my email and put out some fires before going for a walk.’ You hired your team to handle any issues and complete projects while you’re away. Set boundaries during a designated summer vacation and define the dates you are out. Remember to say ‘no’ for two days.” ~ Duran Inci, Optimum7

3. Make Sure to Plan Ahead

“Plan ahead of time so that you can prepare the necessary tasks in advance. You can still do a ‘light’ check-in while on vacation to ensure those tasks are being accomplished.” ~ Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC

4. Add Vacation Days to Business Trips

“I’d argue that entrepreneurs need to take vacations at various times of the year, not just during the summer. My advice would be to look for those times when you’re travelling for work to a conference or business meeting, and then tack on days after it to extend the trip. You’ve already organized your calendar to accommodate that time off, so adding a few more days at the end is easier.” ~ Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster

5. Take It Slowly

“Take it slowly. It’s not wise to go from not taking any breaks at all to being unreachable for a week as a business owner. Start out by planning a long weekend with a couple of scheduled check-ins. Once you see how good it is to get a break and how competent your team is, you’ll be able to take the next trip without any check-ins. Eventually, you can work your way up to a summer vacation in Europe.” ~ Reuben Yonatan, GetVoIP

6. Go During Your Company’s Off-Season

“An entrepreneur can consider rethinking the timing of their summer vacation. Every business has ‘seasons’ when a business’s growth rate slows down. If you can plan your vacation around this time, there’s less need for you to be at work and you can afford to leave other people in charge. What’s important is to spend time with loved ones, so you could choose an unusual time for your vacation.” ~ Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner

7. Train Someone to Fill In for You

“If you want to take a vacation despite all the things you have to do, then you need to train someone to handle your affairs while you’re gone. You can choose one or two people to take over your tasks and give them the details about what’s expected of them. That way, you can rest easy on your vacation knowing your team has you covered.” ~ Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

8. Book Time to Catch Up on Work

“Book 60-90 minutes a day to catch up on work. Small teams cannot afford to delegate everything an entrepreneur does. Clients may not be thrilled to wait for over a week, either. Instead, prepare an hour a day with your morning coffee or before you go to bed and sift through reports and your email backlog. With the right planning, emergencies and blockers are handled easily so you can take some rest.” ~ Mario Peshev, DevriX

9. Attend Company Meetings Virtually

“I think the best way to have a small vacation, while keeping your stress levels down, is to virtually attend your weekly company meeting. Instead of worrying about whether things are running properly, you can check for yourself each week. This might not be an ideal situation for some, but for others, it will give them some peace of mind during their time out.” ~ John Turner, SeedProd LLC

10. Trust Your Team to Do Their Job

“The best way to take a summer vacation is to have confidence in your team. If you have extreme trust in your team you should be able to take a vacation and actually enjoy yourself without compulsively staring at your phone the whole time. In fact, it should be a growth opportunity for you and your team. When I had to take breaks like paternity leave, I found that it forced me to delegate.” ~ Jonathan Steiman, Peak Support

11. Have Clear Systems in Place

“If you think of life as a marathon, it isn’t possible to run 26.2 miles back to back, over and over without taking a break. As an entrepreneur, it’s important to remember that rest is a performance enhancement. One way you step away with confidence is to put behind-the-scenes systems in place for project management, invoicing and workflows that allow you to automate tasks and plan in advance.” ~ Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker

Image: Depositphotos.com

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