Take a vacation for the benefit of your business

For the first time in my 25+ year career I took a two week vacation. I went to Alaska and had a wonderful time. I saw all kinds of wildlife, marveled at the majesty of Denali and was awed by the glaciers. The near silent entrance of our cruise ship into Glacier National Park and College Fjords made the sights all that more humbling as I considered our small presence during a brief moment in time.

The weeks leading to my vacation were fraught with deadlines and putting all my ducks in a row. Making sure files got to the printer in time, proposals for future work delivered, and of course, current projects on schedule. I took my laptop with me with so I could check email, monitor my clients’ Google AdWords accounts, start some website designs and the intention of working on my own marketing. (I’m the typical shoemaker’s kid who goes barefoot while everyone else has shoes.) Currently working without an assistant, I enlisted the help of a friend to check my voicemail messages during the second week when I knew I’d be with spotty cell service and four hours behind.

An amazing thing happened. I barely did a thing! Of course I checked email and monitored Google. But the only other times I opened my laptop was to upload all the photos from my digital camera every night! I was relaxing. I was not thinking about deadlines and responsibilities. I was smiling all day and sleeping through the night. Occasionally something would creatively inspire me and I’d jot it down into my PDA, but for the better part of two weeks I was completely out of my “how can I help my clients?” mode.

It’s been a month since my return and I’m still a lot more stress-free than before I left. All that relaxation energized me…physically, mentally and creatively. I may not take a two week vacation next summer, but I will certainly get away for enough time to totally disengage myself from my business.

Any entrepreneur or professional who thinks it’s impossible or irresponsible to leave for a vacation is doing him or herself a gross injustice. Stepping away and getting out of the day-to-day is as important as replacing batteries in our computer back-up systems and upgrading to the latest software. Flight attendants tell you to put the oxygen masks on yourself before helping your children. By breathing deeper and getting a grip on your own well being makes everything else in your business so much easier.