Time off? Unheard of in a small business
Time off? No time, you might say. Let me disagree with you.
When I started my business I worked all the time. Never, ever said no. Didn’t save any time for myself. I did not take a consistent day off and wouldn’t commit to a vacation until the last minute. Granted, I did have some flexibility (a caterer has the luxury of always being able to say no), but I rarely took advantage of the opportunity to take time off.
It was when I moved from my home to a real, legitimate commercial location that things changed. A group of friends and I had planned to go out west on a private kayaking trip. The trip was going to last one week, but I would be gone for more than two as I was driving the boats out there. TWO WEEKS? What could I have possibly been thinking, I asked myself as the time drew near. How could I consider leaving for two whole weeks?
My friend Paula, someone who had been in business far longer than I had, advised me to just go. “Two weeks!” she said, “You’ll never even know you were gone. No one will miss you. Or, better yet, they’ll respect you for going.”
I was really locked into going, especially since I was a driver. I was needed. There really was no backing out. I gulped. Declined a few jobs, a took off. The trip was GREAT! The drive was fun, the boating was a thrill, and I came back with stories to tell my clients.
Over time I have found the incredible, unpredictable benefit in leaving for trips. I come back fresh, excited, stimulated, and full of adventure. My staff gets to take charge, and the trust that they see I have in them is absolutely invaluable. When away I rarely call in. They know where to find me if they have to, but it is better for all of us to know that if I go I am really gone.
I now take two days off a week. And insist that everyone else does too. This is not a financial decision. It is just the realization that renewal is an essential component of a healthy life. In my line of work December is a big time, and I might make an exception or two at that time of year, but, by and large, my time off is my time off. Period. End of story.
As I wrote a description of my job, I included one month off each year. This does not include business trips, which, really, are not time off. Fun, maybe, but not the same as time off. And what seemed, at the time of writing, to be an indulgence, is actually a necessity for my sanity. I really need that break.
An unexpected benefit is the amount of understanding and appreciation I get from my clients who actually admire me for doing this for myself. And I found that I have appeared as a model for some other businesses around here. “If she can do it, so can I!” We’re all better off.
Take a close look at how you are doing your business. Do you take time off? Enough? Do you give time to your employees? Do you want to be in business for a long time? Plan and act now, or you’ll wear yourself out.