Most freelancers I know aren't always the best at taking time off.
And I mean proper time off. Really stepping away from work.
It's not that we don't want to. It's just... well, it's hard. It's not an easy task to step away from what normally takes up a large percentage of your daily thinking. Even when you do book time off, your mind is more often than not still pondering over some aspect.
I'm just back from a week off. We didn't really have the time to get away anywhere this time around, but plan to once the schools go back. Our son Jacob is at pre-school Monday to Wednesday, so we work around that as well.
I knew I needed a break. There's the potential of things becoming really busy shortly, so I may not get the chance again for a bit. But more importantly, I was exhausted. I needed to press pause.
A Week Of Two Halves
For the first three days I tried to relax and let my shoulders drop. I did things like make a dent on my ever growing magazine pile. I went for a walk to clear my mind. Headed out for lunch with Zoe and Harper, not having to look at my watch for when I had to resume work.
Thursday to Sunday was more family based. The four of us went to the Museum. Jacob and I went to a charity Comic-Con with my brother and his family. We headed out to the park.
It was great, even if it did speed by. But did I manage to properly step away from work, as I mentioned above?
The answer is a mixed bag. I mostly did, although I was guilty of work chat coming up occasionally, particularly around the next stage of development for Stay Bright Mentoring. Things are starting to move on that one, and I'm really excited by where it is all going.
So, given my mixed success, here are my tips for freelancers (and a reminder to myself!) who want to take a proper holiday.
TIP ONE - Your Out of Office is called that for a reason
There's always a great pleasure in putting your Out of Office on. It's the final act before you are officially on holiday. But if you want to truly do it justice, make sure it serves its purpose. Don't look at your emails at all during your holiday, no matter how tempted you are. Is there really anything that can't wait?
TIP TWO - Turn off notifications
Not turning on your laptop is one thing. But not looking at work email or apps on your phone is an entirely different level. It's in your back pocket and therefore easy to grab, just to check. I know because I do it myself regularly. The first step to not checking your work email is to switch off the notifications. It will provide one less temptation for you when on holiday. The same is true of any work apps you use, and social media. The less aware you are of what is going on, the more benefit you will get from your holiday. Make your work invisible for the length of time you are off.
There are probably loads more tips, and I'd genuinely love to hear yours if you have one (let me know on Twitter). The more I'm armed with the better as far as I'm concerned, but I hope these help in the meantime.
TIP THREE - Plan ahead before you get to your holiday
We've all done it. You've got a holiday coming up, so it's full-on to get everything done before you go. You complete your To Do list, often working late to achieve it, but only end up exhausting yourself and spending the first few days of your holiday recovering. Be realistic about what you can do in the lead up to time off, and be honest with clients. You should be winding down as you get closer to your holiday, not getting faster. The same is true for when you come back - how quickly are you going to be able to get back to speed? Manage either side of your holiday well, and you'll properly get the benefits of your time off.
TIP FOUR - Provide an outlet if work inspiration does strike
When you are responsible for all or most of your business, turning your brain off when on holiday is nigh on impossible. You are on holiday to mentally recharge as well as physically, but that isn't going to happen if all you think of is work. So for when those moments of inspiration, those nagging questions, or that item you forgot to add to your To Do list strike, carry a small notebook around and scribble it down. Don't use your phone - it's too much like work! Then put the notebook away and deal with it when you get home. It means you won't forget anything important, but you don't have to spend your precious holiday time sorting any of it.
TIP FIVE - Try to do things you wouldn't normally do
Don't panic, I'm not suggesting you go on an adventure holiday or anything (unless you want to - I'm not judging. I just have two young children, and the idea of adventuring exhausts me simply thinking about it). But try to do things that aren't run of the mill for you. If you follow a similar routine to your normal one, you aren't changing anything, and therefore aren't getting a proper break. Here's an example of something I did last week that was really small, but definitely beneficial. I spend a lot of time in coffee shops working, but always casting an envious eye at those enjoying a book while they caffeinate, while I slave away on the laptop. So that's what I did. I went to a different coffee shop than normal, and I only took my book. No laptop or tablet, and my phone went onto silent. I then spent a glorious hour and a half drinking coffee and reading a novel. I left not only feeling relaxed, but that I had done something good for myself.
TIP FIVE - Turn off notifications
Not turning on your laptop is one thing. But not looking at work email or apps on your phone is an entirely different level. It's in your back pocket and therefore easy to grab, just to check. I know because I do it myself regularly. The first step to not checking your work email is to switch off the notifications. It will provide one less temptation for you when on holiday. The same is true of any work apps you use, and social media. The less aware you are of what is going on, the more benefit you will get from your holiday. Make your work invisible for the length of time you are off.
There are probably loads more tips, and I'd genuinely love to hear yours if you have one (let me know on Twitter). The more I'm armed with the better as far as I'm concerned, but I hope these help in the meantime.
I'll leave it to you to work out which ones I accidentally broke last week...
