You deserve a vacation while running a business
I felt guilty for taking off my birthday. After having two weeks off for Christmas and the New Year, I thought people would think I was extra for taking off one more day. Who does she think she is? Does she ever work?! How does she expect to run a successful business if she’s not around? Then compound that with a client project that rolled over into the new year…total guilt city. I kept judging myself when I told my client that I was unavailable to work on my birthday.
This scenario happened every year for my first 3 years of business. Then in the 4th year, I owned that it was my birthday way before January 4th. I extended my holiday vacation to include it. So instead of going back to the office on January 2nd, I took off a whole extra week. It gave me more space to do what I wanted and to celebrate me.
As a small business owner, you get to decide when you want to work and when you don’t. It’s probably one of the luxuries that made you want to start your own business in the first place. But when you have so much freedom and flexibility, you may also feel guilty or judged by people who don’t. Here’s your reminder that you deserve a vacation while running a business and 5 guilt-free ways to do it:
Your birthday
This should be a given no matter what time of the year your birthday is. You deserve to be celebrated. You were put on this Earth to inspire and help others with your passion. So relish in how much you’ve grown in the past year. That means embracing all your wins AND all your failures. Because each contributes to the person you are becoming. Celebrate your birthday in whichever way you choose to. I’m not into big parties or gatherings. But I love an intimate dinner or a getaway with my closest friends and/or family.
Federal holidays
Open up your Google Calendar and block off all federal holidays. If the federal holiday is on Saturday or Sunday, then it’s usually observed on the Friday before or the Monday after. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management website has the exact dates of all the federal holidays for the current year.
New Year’s Day (Jan 1)
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday (Third Monday in January)
Washington’s Birthday (Third Monday in February)
Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19)
Independence Day (July 4)
Labor Day (First Monday in September)
Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day (Second Monday in October)
Veterans Day (Nov 11)
Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November)
Christmas Day (Dec 25)
Personal time off (PTO)
I like to plan this when I set my business goals for the upcoming year. It helps me plan my launches around my vacations versus the other way around. Now, I may not have an actual vacation booked yet. So you could say it is wishful thinking. But I like to say it’s prioritizing my wants and needs. It’s also helpful that I know when my busy and slow seasons are. After a few years in business, you’ll notice patterns when you feel like clients are constantly flocking towards you and times when it’s crickets. Using this info to your benefit will help reduce the guilt around taking a vacation while running a business.
My first vacation as an entrepreneur in Florence, Italy.
Your weekends
Imagine driving to the beach and there’s only a handful of people basking in the sun. You aren’t worried about being on top of your neighbors or that you can’t admire the beautiful surf. It feels like you are at an exclusive resort because you are at the beach on a weekday.
My weekends aren’t on Saturday or Sunday. They are on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I can enjoy the beach all to myself. Seems like a sweet trade-off, right?! After years of commuting, long hours in the office, and let’s be honest…the frequent all-nighters I pulled when I first started my business, I finally found a schedule that works for me.
Instead of fighting the urge to work on the weekends, I embraced it with open arms. I blocked off two days during the week for “my weekend”. During the summer, I go to the beach. During the rest of the year, I wander the city or book mini-getaways upstate or out east. Having this flexibility also lets me have quality time with my boyfriend who also works weekends. Who knew being so rebellious could feel so luxurious at the same time?
Your daily schedule
I believe every day should feel like a vacation when you are running a business. And for me that means having a slow morning. I am not an early riser so I start my work day at 11 am. This gives me time to prioritize me in the mornings. I get to do some kind of movement which is usually yoga or 30 minutes on my stationary bike. And if it’s a nice out, then I do it outside. I have breakfast and then get dressed because I want to look cute for me. There’s nothing wrong with wearing athleisure all day long. But whenever I put a cute outfit on, I always think “Damn, I look good!” (Highly recommend being your own hype-woman). I work for a few hours, have dinner with my boyfriend, and then pamper myself before bed. I gua-sha my face with Linne Botanicals face oils (my fave), lotion up my body, and then do some TBM work.
My slow morning garden views during the summertime.
In case you just read all of this and thought this is soooo unrealistic. I want to let you know that I’m not perfect. I check my emails and Instagram as soon as I wake up. I’ve worked holidays. I also tend to forget to take breaks while working. I’m embarrassed to say that I averaged less than 2,000 steps per month last year. In comparison to when I worked in the city and I could hit 10,000 steps no problem. I don’t have an Apple Watch so this calculation is from what my iPhone health app says. I don’t carry my phone when I workout so it’s definitely missing steps. But this is also an excuse I tell myself to make me feel better. The above is what I aim to achieve every day and if I don’t, I give myself grace. When I want to binge Law and Order: SVU…I do. When I’m creatively in the zone…I keep working. When I don’t want to work out…I don’t. It’s more about defining what I want instead of living someone else’s dream life.