When you’re a solopreneur who works for yourself, taking a vacation might seem totally impossible. The truth is that it’s tough but you can do it if you plan in advance. And I mean way in advance. There are always things that pop up when you least expect them.

Sam & I have just had 2 weeks away in Spain, very enjoyable it was as well so we know exactly how difficult it can be to get the balance right of work and play but it’s a vital element to get just right.

 

Working on Your Vacation

The first step in planning your vacation is deciding if you’re going to work at all or not. Some folks take the mornings, for example, to work, and then spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying their trip. If you decide to work on your vacation, keep in mind that there’s no way you can do everything you usually get done.

I recommend setting some limits. Otherwise, you might find yourself spending your trip only working. Decide on which days you’ll work and for how many hours. Make this schedule and stick to it no matter how much you feel like you’ve got to do.

Before you head off, make sure you’ve got everything you need. This includes your computer and any devices you use, as well as your Internet access. It’s a good idea to scout out some help near your vacation spot just in case you have technical problems or you need to buy something.

Hiring Help

If you’re not going to work during your vacation, you need to decide which tasks still need to be done and outsource them. If you’re going away for a week, for example, you may not want to shut down your business entirely.

Lots of folks hire a virtual assistant to cover routine tasks while they’re gone. You can hire a virtual assistant to do just about anything and if you outsource to a country like the Philippines where the dollar goes a long way, you can do it really cheaply.

It’s tough to find good help so start looking early. When you find someone you like, start training them on the tasks you need done long before your vacation. Make sure they’re doing things right and then gradually add more tasks to their workload. You don’t want to discover in mid-trip that they have no idea what they’re doing.

You may want to give them emergency contact information in case they need to reach you. If you do this, be sure to tell them exactly what constitutes and emergency and what doesn’t. Otherwise, you might have them calling you about every little thing.

Covering Your Blog

If you want to keep blogging while you’re gone, there are several ways to do this. One is to write a whole bunch of blog posts beforehand and load them up. Feed these posts to your blog gradually while you’re gone.

Another idea is to ask for guest bloggers. Put the word out and start taking submissions. Review and edit them early so that you can get them loaded up and ready to go. If there’s someone who has blogged for you before and you trust them, you can give them access and let them run it.

Checking in

If you decide to go totally unplugged (not a bad idea; after all, it’s a vacation!), I still recommend checking in once in a while. Go to an Internet cafe somewhere or bring along your laptop and just see that things are going alright. It’s good to check your email once in a while as well.

The key is to NOT work too much. Make sure you can enjoy your vacation. Relax and let go, knowing that any serious problems can be dealt with when you come home.

Tony

Leave a comment or question

Remember no question is stupid only the one that’s never asked!