There's No Good Time to Vacation

Posted by on Oct 19, 2009 in blog | 14 comments

I’m sitting in the Freeport, Bahamas airport – on my way home from visiting my friend who lives here.  She’s “stationed” here while her husband finishes medical school at a university based in the Caribbean.  They spent their time on an island called Dominica before transferring to Bahamas and needless to say, I was really missing her!

As much as I enjoyed the trip and wouldn’t trade it for a single thing in the world, it makes me realize that being an entrepreneur also means that there is no good time to vacation. Owning a business makes certain things in life harder.  Regardless of your choices, you end up feeling guilty somewhere.

Visiting my friend was something I really, really wanted to do and after canceling my trip to see her in Dominica, I knew I had to get out to see her here.  Most of the clients and customers I have now are understanding and patient which is awesome but there are always the few who put extra pressure on you when you want to take some time away from your office and your regular routine.

It’s tough and frankly, it sucks.

I can’t remember the last time in five years of owning my business that I took a completely unplugged, work-free vacation.  I can’t.  The type of business I have and the structure I have doesn’t make it possible — yet.  Someday, I’ll have figured it out enough to a point where I can vacation guilt-free.  For now, I do it but spend a week catching up.

However… it won’t stop me from doing it anyway.

There’s never a good time to get away and the thing is, if you become a slave to your business and your work, you’ll miss out on once in a lifetime opportunities and experiences.  It’s not always the most convenient and I pay for the time I’m away with all nighters and loads of coffee but it’s okay.  I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Here are a few pictures from the trip (more to come!):

My bestie Tricia & I at a restaurant in Freeport

My bestie Tricia & I at a restaurant in Freeport

Tricia & I snuck into the Radisson to enjoy the infinity pool & ocean!

Tricia & I snuck into the Radisson to enjoy the infinity pool & ocean!

Coral Beach... a lazy day in the sun & with good company!

Coral Beach... a lazy day in the sun & with good company!

How about yourself?  When’s the last time you took a guilt-free, completely unplugged vacation and came home unstressed and underwhelmed?  If you do this often… what’s the secret?

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  • http://www.designinginteractive.com/ Josh Walsh

    Your glass is half-empty, Erin. You have no boss, no strict hours, nobody telling you when or where to do things. You are always on vacation.

    Sure, it sucks to put the Pina Colada down and pick up the email, but it’s a small trade off to live the life that you and I enjoy.

    Would you rather have a boss??

  • http://jwalsh@designinginteractive.com Josh Walsh

    Your glass is half-empty, Erin. You have no boss, no strict hours, nobody telling you when or where to do things. You are always on vacation.

    Sure, it sucks to put the Pina Colada down and pick up the email, but it’s a small trade off to live the life that you and I enjoy.

    Would you rather have a boss??

  • http://www.LifeStreaminColor.com/ Erin Blaskie

    Hey Josh! Thanks for commenting.

    The thing is, when you run a service-based business, you do have a boss… Many of them. You are expected to work certain hours… You do have people telling you when and where to do things and I work 20 hour days, every day.

    Yes, it is a glass half-empty mindset and normally, I’m not like that at all, but sometimes I do wish I could drop my work at the end of the day like people in the corporate world do and take a week or two off without a slight thought about work.

    Of course I love what I do and wouldn’t trade it for the world but I can’t help but wonder what that guilt-free, attitude-free time off would be like… let alone things like maternity leave, etc. It’s amazing to have passion and focus and drive like I do for my work but in this case, I really am looking at the “grass being greener” on the other side… ;)

    e.

  • http://www.LifeStreaminColor.com Erin Blaskie

    Hey Josh! Thanks for commenting.

    The thing is, when you run a service-based business, you do have a boss… Many of them. You are expected to work certain hours… You do have people telling you when and where to do things and I work 20 hour days, every day.

    Yes, it is a glass half-empty mindset and normally, I’m not like that at all, but sometimes I do wish I could drop my work at the end of the day like people in the corporate world do and take a week or two off without a slight thought about work.

    Of course I love what I do and wouldn’t trade it for the world but I can’t help but wonder what that guilt-free, attitude-free time off would be like… let alone things like maternity leave, etc. It’s amazing to have passion and focus and drive like I do for my work but in this case, I really am looking at the “grass being greener” on the other side… ;)

    e.

  • http://www.designinginteractive.com/ Josh Walsh

    Erin,

    You hustle more than most people I know, and your business shows. But, if you are working for yourself because of the freedom that it provides you, you are doing it wrong.

    This is of course just my opinion, so take it for what it is.

    You don’t have a boss. You have clients. There is a difference. You can manage clients expectations around a vacation. With proper notice, you can take time off without affecting your bottom line.

    It sucks to put down the Pina Colada and pick up email, I get it, and I feel the same way. But you can take a 2 week vacation, drop the email and the cell phone, and enjoy life. It’s the reason you work for yourself. If you work hard for the freedoms, but never use them, you’ve missed the boat.

    This was a lesson I learned on my honeymoon. I wasn’t taking work with me. I refused. I was in a service business at the time. I let my clients know that I would be gone, I delegated my tasks (to a VA… should have known you back then), and then forgot about it. I set auto-responders and voicemail messages with my delegates contact info. If some huge emergency happened, like our building burning down, my VA can get ahold of me. But, that rarely happens in my experience, when it does, you still only deal with your assistant.

    The pile waiting for me when I returned was high, but totally worth it. Some clients had emergencies, and some my delegates couldn’t handle. Because I dealt with it ahead of time, they were understanding and had no long term impact.

  • http://jwalsh@designinginteractive.com Josh Walsh

    Erin,

    You hustle more than most people I know, and your business shows. But, if you are working for yourself because of the freedom that it provides you, you are doing it wrong.

    This is of course just my opinion, so take it for what it is.

    You don’t have a boss. You have clients. There is a difference. You can manage clients expectations around a vacation. With proper notice, you can take time off without affecting your bottom line.

    It sucks to put down the Pina Colada and pick up email, I get it, and I feel the same way. But you can take a 2 week vacation, drop the email and the cell phone, and enjoy life. It’s the reason you work for yourself. If you work hard for the freedoms, but never use them, you’ve missed the boat.

    This was a lesson I learned on my honeymoon. I wasn’t taking work with me. I refused. I was in a service business at the time. I let my clients know that I would be gone, I delegated my tasks (to a VA… should have known you back then), and then forgot about it. I set auto-responders and voicemail messages with my delegates contact info. If some huge emergency happened, like our building burning down, my VA can get ahold of me. But, that rarely happens in my experience, when it does, you still only deal with your assistant.

    The pile waiting for me when I returned was high, but totally worth it. Some clients had emergencies, and some my delegates couldn’t handle. Because I dealt with it ahead of time, they were understanding and had no long term impact.

  • Pat Cat

    Put your own mask on before assisting others.

    The last time I unplugged was about this time last year, in the Alaskan wilderness. I came home a new person – stress free and inspired. That not only benefits me but also my clients. There was plenty of work waiting, but everyone knew I was going to be unavailable for that number of days and I approached the work on my return in a completely stress free mode.

    Refreshing your soul & your creative mind, unwinding the tight spring of work/task/client pressure, letting your brain be free to think about what it wants to, filling the well of your Self so you can provide to others – these are all good things that come from taking a break. It is not a selfish act and there is no reason to feel guilty. Not taking care of yourself in this way will eventually lead to burnout.

    Here is a suggestion – If you really feel like you can’t take a vacation proper (many days away from home), start with a baby step, like planning one whole day for yourself with no plugging in. Even if you just stay in your pj’s reading comix to your dogs. Just do it. Tell yourself YOU matter. Then next time try a 3day weekend. Put these days on your calendar as you would any important business meeting. Alert your clients well ahead of time. Don’t apologize. Then make yourself do it.

    A final thought – the jobs that people can truly leave behind at 5 and pick up again at 9 would never make someone as creative and driven as yourself happy. Maybe the grass isn’t greener, maybe it’s a whole different kind of plant.

    cheers!

  • Pat Cat

    Put your own mask on before assisting others.

    The last time I unplugged was about this time last year, in the Alaskan wilderness. I came home a new person – stress free and inspired. That not only benefits me but also my clients. There was plenty of work waiting, but everyone knew I was going to be unavailable for that number of days and I approached the work on my return in a completely stress free mode.

    Refreshing your soul & your creative mind, unwinding the tight spring of work/task/client pressure, letting your brain be free to think about what it wants to, filling the well of your Self so you can provide to others – these are all good things that come from taking a break. It is not a selfish act and there is no reason to feel guilty. Not taking care of yourself in this way will eventually lead to burnout.

    Here is a suggestion – If you really feel like you can’t take a vacation proper (many days away from home), start with a baby step, like planning one whole day for yourself with no plugging in. Even if you just stay in your pj’s reading comix to your dogs. Just do it. Tell yourself YOU matter. Then next time try a 3day weekend. Put these days on your calendar as you would any important business meeting. Alert your clients well ahead of time. Don’t apologize. Then make yourself do it.

    A final thought – the jobs that people can truly leave behind at 5 and pick up again at 9 would never make someone as creative and driven as yourself happy. Maybe the grass isn’t greener, maybe it’s a whole different kind of plant.

    cheers!

  • http://VisionForSuccess.biz/ Ali Rodriguez

    Your grass will be greener soon, on the other side. As women, we can have it all, just not all at the same time. There’s a “Season” for everything, not just a time and a place….and being in the service industry, those guilt-free trips are hard to come by at “first”…but it won’t be long now. You’re a great strategist, planner and innovator, and as such, you’ll come to invent your own “guilt-free” programs and systems for entrepreneurs to be free to fly whenever their little lifestyles suits them. I know you will!…and then….it’s your turn!

    Pssst: Welcome Home!:)

  • http://VisionForSuccess.biz Ali Rodriguez

    Your grass will be greener soon, on the other side. As women, we can have it all, just not all at the same time. There’s a “Season” for everything, not just a time and a place….and being in the service industry, those guilt-free trips are hard to come by at “first”…but it won’t be long now. You’re a great strategist, planner and innovator, and as such, you’ll come to invent your own “guilt-free” programs and systems for entrepreneurs to be free to fly whenever their little lifestyles suits them. I know you will!…and then….it’s your turn!

    Pssst: Welcome Home!:)

  • http://www.LifeStreaminColor.com/ Erin Blaskie

    Thank you all SO much for your comments!! Seriously. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I think when I’m in the midst of it all, it’s just so greatly compounded that I get angsty. Then, when I look back on it, I realize it wasn’t so bad after all… My team handled all of the emergencies, my clients are still happy and I had a lot of fun. :)

  • http://www.LifeStreaminColor.com Erin Blaskie

    Thank you all SO much for your comments!! Seriously. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I think when I’m in the midst of it all, it’s just so greatly compounded that I get angsty. Then, when I look back on it, I realize it wasn’t so bad after all… My team handled all of the emergencies, my clients are still happy and I had a lot of fun. :)

  • http://bowmanmarketing.com Scott Bowman

    To sum it up in a single word, it’s about “Boundaries”. Your the boss lady and are completely in charge of those boundaries, so go ahead and set them.

    In fact, you should really take a look at your calendar for this time next year, and block off some “you” time. Plenty of time to plan and prepare both your clients and your team. It also sets a good example for those who work with you too.

    As the old adage goes, “Set some time apart, so you don’t come apart in time”

    (And yes, welcome home :) )

  • http://www.bowmanmarketing.com Scott

    To sum it up in a single word, it’s about “Boundaries”. Your the boss lady and are completely in charge of those boundaries, so go ahead and set them.

    In fact, you should really take a look at your calendar for this time next year, and block off some “you” time. Plenty of time to plan and prepare both your clients and your team. It also sets a good example for those who work with you too.

    As the old adage goes, “Set some time apart, so you don’t come apart in time”

    (And yes, welcome home :) )