For many entrepreneurs and small business owners, the lead-up to a holiday can be a period of heightened pressure and stress.
A backlog of work brings longer days; forgotten actions disturb sleep and before long plans are afoot to smuggle the laptop and mobile phone into the luggage. Worse still is the attempt to move the holiday by a day or two or in extreme cases, shelve it altogether.
Enough! These conditions and behaviours have a detrimental effect on our wellbeing (at the very least, days lost trying to unwind) and send all kinds of negative signals to those around us.
Here are 5 structures to put in place NOW to ensure that your holiday is just that - a holiday.
- You've planned your holiday, now plan your business
If only we spent as much time planning our business as we do our breaks.
Holidays are often planned many months in advance - this is particularly true for our summer holiday. In reality, we have ample time to minimise the effect on our business.
Start by listing the basic functions of your business, those that crop up regularly. These may include bookkeeping, ordering, invoicing, marketing and so on.
Next, list the actions that will be necessary for each function prior to your break, clearly indicating when the action is necessary and who is responsible. Draw up a detailed list covering each step with dates to commence and add to the list as new items come up.
When we write actions down and have them become part of a plan, they can quickly diminish as a cause of anxiety.
If you have a friend or colleague in a similar position, consider a 'buddy' arrangement whereby you support each other via a regular check-in.
- Finishing unfinished business
Alongside planning steps to handle your basic functions, we need to look at the uncomfortable area of unfinished business.
'Unfinished business' describes all those things that have built up over the preceding months. Tasks that for one reason or another have not been completed.
Membership renewals, computer upgrades, follow-up letters, stationery supplies and the like.
Once these items are listed, plan steps to handle them. Put them into priority order and be realistic about what you can and cannot do before your break.
This is a time for personal honesty. Sometimes we have unfinished business that hangs around for years. In such cases, permit yourself to make 'unfinished' the finish. Occasionally, giving up the struggle is the right step.
- Set up systems. Establish boundaries
As the holiday gets closer it will be time to give extra consideration to how things run in your absence.
This may include basics like: phone and fax answering, email response and post box clearing. Additionally, you may need to consider work delegation and external project management.
Whatever the issues, it's likely you'll need to draft some procedures if only for your own peace of mind.
Writing procedures need not be difficult. A good system is to open a file on each area and add thoughts and notes as they crop up, allowing a few days for all the topics to come out. Once done, go through the notes and transcribe the actions in the form of sequential points.
Establishing boundaries can make the difference between a short pause from work and a real, recharge-your-batteries-holiday.
Give serious thought to what's really stopping you having a break where:
- You have no contact with clients, customers or staff
- Your mobile phone stays at home
- Your computer remains turned off
Too often we do not get clear on what we really want which means we cannot expect others to respect our limits.
What kind of break would you truly like? What will you do to make it a reality?
- Security check
When staying in hotels, we're invited to use a safety deposit box. We see security instructions telling us what to do in the event of a fire. We're shown how to lock the door securely and where to park the car. The result is we feel safe and secure.
Now ponder this: What will give you the same feeling about your office and your work? Have you backed up your computer? Is your office as secure as it could be? Where are you most vulnerable and how can you combat this weakness?
- Plan your homecoming
The last part of preparing for a holiday is preparing for your return.
Clean and tidy your office from top to bottom before you leave - there's nothing like walking into a fresh office after a holiday.
Have an action list sitting on your desk and make sure the top few items are pleasurable activities - 'book next holiday' for example! This action list will help you focus quickly and will actually prolong your sense of wellbeing.
Enjoy your break! After your return, pause and consider what was especially good about your holiday and contemplate how to have more of that in your day-to-day life.