Today we are going to talk about how to take time off in your business.

Time off. Time to recharge your batteries, get some rest, get some personal time in, get some personal stuff done.

For the purposes of this episode, I'm not talking about time off for kid's school or extracurricular activities, or for looking after aging parents appointments. I'm talking about YOU.

In order for you to be a ridiculously good Virtual Assistant, you must look after yourself.

You are the service, the product, the talent of your business. If you don't make sure to take time away from your business, you will soon start to regret it.

When we work for someone else, we automatically get nights and weekends off, don't we? For the most part anyway.

Some entrepreneurs don't do that. We work on our own business in the 'down' times, and sometimes that means we work all the time.

Or at least that's what it looks like.

And that's not healthy. It's why I always talk to you about being really focused on what it is you want to get done - have a plan, do it in the shortest time bucket possible, and move along.

But time off is not just nights and weekends, though those are important, it's any time you are away from your clients for an extended period of time. And that's what I want to talk about today.

What does it take to take time off from your business? Just a little preparation.

We need to be more strategic than when we are taking holidays from a job, but it doesn't mean that we can't do it.

And when done right, you will make the most of your vacation time - and hopefully you'll do it more often!

What does vacation mean to you? For me it honestly just means a couple of days away. My husband is a chef and in the hospitality industry, especially these days, time off comes at a premium. So we do short jaunts here and there, no big long 3 week cruises in the Pacific in our house!

The longer you plan to be away, the more prep you need to do. So let's talk about what you need to do:

1. Create procedures for the things you do. Step by step is not needed necessarily, but you do need to document the things you do, if someone is taking over for you, or if your client needs to do something on their own. A little extra attention and hand holding before you go makes your clients feel supported and confident. Screenshare videos are the best!

2. Give your clients plenty of notice that you'll be away. Last minute is usually the issue, and we always want to manage our client's expectations well. Be sure to let them know what will happen in your absence, and how to reach whoever is in charge.

3. Find someone to look after your work while you are gone if necessary. A colleague who can check on things really helps you relax more when you are not there yourself. Obviously provide them with your daily schedule, logins and procedures.

4. Check in yourself once a day. This is what I have done on longer holidays - once in the morning, 30 minutes max, to make sure everything is going according to plan. Then the rest of the time I can relax knowing that I myself saw what was happening. Don't do any work though - delegate it!

5. Do as much ahead as you can - if your clients are on retainer, you don't want to just disappear for a week that they have paid for. Figure out how you can get ahead on some regular ongoing work so they still get their deliverables.

6. Don't be shy about taking time off. Everyone does it. If you are working with your ideal clients, they will value you and your time, and they will want you to enjoy yourself and come back refreshed. If you have a client who gets upset, then you may want to think about replacing that client when you get back! I read a statistic that said 43% of freelancers have felt the need to hide their vacation from their clients! (podia.com) nope!

How to relax on your vacay:

1. Turn notifications off. 2. Unplug. 3. Rest. 4. Just do it. 5. Enjoy!

And if you can't get away on vacation, or you can't afford it, time off is still a very real thing you need to schedule in.

Afternoons off, Fridays off, nights off, weekends off, time off between Christmas and New Year's - whatever it is, make sure to incorporate it and still use all the same tips that I gave you in today's episode.

A couple of tips on how to incorporate vacation into your business: - pick a date and stick to it (buy an airline ticket!) - plan ahead so you have time to complete things or get the right people in place - cushion a business trip with a few days of vacation on either side - try long weekends first if you have never taken a vacation - trust that all will go well because you prepared everyone (trust who you leave in charge - they will get better the more you let them be autonomous) - once you get away and all goes well, you'll be booking that next one!

On that note, I'm actually on my own vacation at the moment - in a log cabin in beautiful Alberta with my husband for a few days. I'll be back later this week. And yes, I recorded this episode of my podcast early so I could get away and still provide it to you. Of course. I'll see you next week!

What to do next:

If you need some help figuring out how to set your business up so that you will not burn out, and so that you can take time off when you need it or want it, reach out to me at [email protected]

I've helped hundreds of VAs through their challenges and got them on their way to the next thing. I'd love to do the same for you. I do private coaching, and my new mastermind The Virtual Circle registration is open now. Maybe one of those options is right for you.

That's all I've got for you this week, thanks for tuning in to learn to become a ridiculously good Virtual Assistant!