How to Unplug and Take a Real Vacation as a Small Business Owner

By Felicia Sullivan
The Hartford Small Biz Ahead | Originally published: January 21, 2019
Updated: February 1, 2022

With travel opening up, the option to plan a vacation is becoming more and more appealing – even if you’re just booking an Airbnb in the next state over or mapping out a short road trip. You might even be planning a staycation. As a small business owner it can be hard to step away from your work. We’ve all been there: You’re on a beach and instead of relaxing you’re furiously tapping, typing, and scrolling.

There’s a crisis at work—there’s always a crisis at work—demanding your attention, and it doesn’t matter that you’re hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from work. Work has found you and you find yourself straitjacketed by time zones and geography. It would be so much easier to deal with the problem if you were at work. Only you’re on vacation, and you’re supposed to be unplugging or unwinding—your phone isn’t an appendage, and yet it is, and your obsession with work is making it impossible to enjoy your holiday.

Skipping Vacation? You’re Taking a Risk

As a small business owner, it’s natural to feel attached and accountable to every action in your business, but what happens when your business takes over your waking hours? What happens when you’re not able to enjoy a few days away with the ones you love?

Most Americans make a point of checking in with work while they’re on vacation. An ADT survey of small business owners revealed that 55% of SBOs never travel without their phone so they can keep tabs on their business even while on holiday.

Compared to other countries, Americans take far fewer vacations. One report found that 55% of Americans didn’t use all their days off from work in 2020. So, why are we leaving paid time on the table? Our cult of overwork values face time over quality time—the more we’re seen working, the more we give the appearance that we take our jobs, and businesses, seriously. Which then begs the question: At what cost? Project: Time Off estimates that those unused vacation days have a financial effect both on the U.S. economy and on the individual: “By forfeiting vacation days, American workers gave up $66.4 billion in 2016 benefits alone.” However, the impact goes deeper.

While you may appear to be fully dedicated to your business, you’ll likely suffer from stress and burnout. In the landmark, oft-cited Framingham Heart Study, which serves as the gold standard of long-term health studies for observing 20+ years of data as it relates to heart disease, it was revealed that men who didn’t take a holiday for several years were 30% more likely to have a heart attack than those who took at least one week’s vacation a year. The results for women were even more dramatic—women who took a vacation only once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to suffer from heart disease or have a heart attack than women who went on a holiday at least twice a year.

Do your health a favor and go on vacation!

Now that you know that it’s critical to unwind, it’s time to establish some healthy holiday boundaries.

Establish a Vacation Pre-Game Plan

Once you’ve scheduled your getaway, alert your team and key contacts for coverage in your absence. Map out any key events, deliverables, or planning that may occur while you’re on holiday and try to clear as much off your plate as possible before you take off. This is an excellent time to sit down with your staff and go through the key tasks they’ll need to manage in your absence. Delegate tasks and create back-up plans, should things go haywire.

It’s important to be clear about your communication boundaries. If your employees know that you’re accessible 24/7 to manage problems, they won’t step up and assume responsibility. Be clear about your availability and the kinds of scenarios to which you’ll respond. I used to tell my teams that unless the building or a team member is on fire, don’t contact me. Empowering your staff to take ownership of your business in your absence sets the stage for how you’ll be able to manage and scale your business. You can use free online tools like Trello or Asana to schedule or delegate projects and tasks.

Toe the Line While You’re Away

You may want to establish a daily, timed check-in routine so that you’re keeping on top of what’s going on in your business without immersing yourself too deeply. Once you establish the check-in times, stick to them. Deviating off course and getting sucked into the vortex that is your inbox will signal to your staff that you’re on call and they can take a breather. Not only do you have to establish boundaries but also you have to stick to them.

If you find that your phone is an appendage, you can reclaim your holiday time with apps like…[MORE]

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To read the entire article by Felicia Sullivan at The Hartford Small Biz Ahead website, visit: Starting a Business? How to Unplug and Take a Real Vacation as a Small Business Owner