We’ve discussed how business owners can take a vacation on the blog before. One of the tips many of us have mentioned is business owners should get work done before actually going on vacation. This is especially true if you have ongoing projects that you can schedule ahead of time.
What we haven’t really discussed is how to actually go about getting your work done before a vacation. It may seem obvious, but it actually requires some organization on your part.
How do I know this? Because I’m in this situation as I write this article. I will be on a cruise with limited WiFi in September and the week after that I’ll be in San Diego for a conference. That means I need to get a lot of work done before leaving. Here’s how I’m doing it:
See what you can get off your plate.
It may seem counterintuitive to get rid of work before a vacation, but here me out. I realized that the only way I’d be able to get all of my client work done before leaving on vacation was to take stuff off my plate as it pertained to my personal brand.
That means I pushed back the launch of a course and will be going on a small hiatus from blogging on my own site. I have enough content where I can do the latter.
The reality is that if you want to get your work done before a vacation, you first have to figure out what you can postpone until you get back. In my case, I prioritized my client work because it gets me paid.
Go to your best place to hustle.
While I can work from home, the reality is I get way more done in my coworking space. Sometimes I can get double the amount of work done at my coworking space versus trying to work from home. That’s why I’ve practically been living at my coworking space the last couple of weeks. Granted, I have a lot of distractions at home. You may not.
Where’s the best place for you to hustle? Is it at home? The library? A coffee shop? Wherever it is, rework your schedule so you can spend a good chunk of your time there. Sometimes, if you want to get your work done before a vacation, you need to go to the location where you know you can focus best.
Suck it up.
The reality is if you need to get your work done before a vacation you’re going to need to suck it up and work hard. This may mean working a few weekends leading up to your vacation. It may look like late nights and early mornings.
While it may feel stressful for the time being, you have to remind yourself that you’re doing this so you can partake in a luxury many regularly employed people cannot: Taking off for a vacation whenever you want and without having to ask for permission.
Granted, I would also advise that you schedule in some time to rest and recharge. I’ve been frequenting my yoga studio and taking breaks pretty often so that I don’t lose my mind.