If you’re a business owner, the idea of going on a vacation might seem like a challenge too big to handle. Still, having a good work-life balance is essential for your mental and physical well-being and one of the key factors contributing to your business success.
So if you’re worried about how to keep your business running smoothly, we present you with 8 top ways to consider when planning your next perfect gateway.
- Get (Everything You Can) Done Before Your Leave
If you want to have a stress-free holiday, don’t leave with a to-do list that is long as your arm.
That is a surefire way to disaster, as you will be spending all your days worrying whether your subordinates have managed to handle all the extra workload on time and with the same devotion you would put into it.
When it comes to your obligations, try to do as much as you can ahead of time so you can truly enjoy your vacation.
- Organize Your Team
Before you leave, you need to make sure you’ve organized things perfectly, meaning choosing the right people with the right skills to look after your crucial business tasks.
Brief your team and team leaders and delegate tasks.
Make sure you’ve chosen someone to handle customer and client issues while you’re on vacation.
Also, try to prepare for emergencies – leave clear instructions and contact numbers so your employees can handle issues like building maintenance or internet connectivity on their own.
This will also be an excellent opportunity for your senior team members to grow their skills, as they will find themselves in new roles and gain new experiences.
- Let Your Customers and Clients Know
If your customers and clients are used to communicating with you, they might expect you to be around all the time. And when you’re not, problems may arise.
To prevent this kind of problem, let your customers and clients know about your vacation in advance and refer them to the person they can contact if they need to.
- Make Use of New Technologies
No matter if it’s a matter of urgency or you feel the need to tune in sporadically, managed network solutions can ensure everything runs smoothly wherever in the world you are.
Using new technologies and all the possibilities they’ve opened up, such as cloud, file sharing, and various project management-related software, you can have access and insight into your essential business operations in real-time and keep up with all the urgent affairs.
- Have Your Phone With You
While it would be perfect to unplug completely during your vacation, this is hardly possible when running your own business.
Even with a great team around, some emergencies just can’t be avoided. You will feel more at peace knowing that they can reach you if there is really a need.
Let all your employees know that you’re on vacation and that they should contact you only if there is an emergency that they can’t sort out on their own.
- Schedule Time for Handling Your Inbox
Sometimes you may find it less stressful to check your email at a scheduled time than to try to avoid your inbox entirely and then constantly fight the urge to check it out.
Schedule half an hour each day to check on what happened the day before.
This way, you won’t be too involved with real-time problems and will most probably see that your employees solved the situation themselves.
Consider disabling email notifications and making it a bit harder for yourself to log in and check emails on your phone. This simple trick will prevent you from clicking the email icon just to keep your fingers occupied when idle.
- Stay Off Social Media
As well as reducing the frequency that you check your business inbox, it’s a good idea to cut down the social media time when you are away.
Channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter will target you and deliver content and ads based on your browsing activity and interests.
Such content will be considered related to your work, so instead of relaxing you, it will be a reminder of what you’ve tried to leave behind – your office.
- Set Realistic Expectations
The truth is that you need a break from work to prevent entrepreneurial burnout, but try to set realistic expectations. Even with the best intentions to rest and devote all your time to your friends or family, your work can creep into your holiday if you’re running a business.
If such a thing happens, try to avoid being too hard on yourself. Try to give yourself permission to handle what needs your attention without feelings of guilt or regret.
Even though the idea of taking time away from your business may seem scary, with good communication and some planning, you will discover that enjoying your holidays is much easier than you’ve imagined.
