How to Truly Relax On Vacation

Have you ever experienced a vacation that you looked forward to for months but wasn’t relaxing at all?

Even the planning process of a vacation can be stressful, combine that with packing, traveling, unpacking and you need the time with family or friends, to relax, unwind, sleep in and enjoy unscheduled days.

But then, you’re checking email constantly and worried about your business. If you find it difficult to unplug from work mode and enjoy a vacation – or never take a break for the same reason – then you need to make a change.

Just a short time ago I booked a trip to New York to see more of the city and visit friends. But every day I found myself out of vacation mode and back into work mode!

I completely take ownership of having not properly set boundaries with my clients and was also unwilling to say no when work beckoned me – even if I was rushing to catch my train or spending time with a 12 year old hearing about her day.

One day I found myself squeezed into a corner at the Natural History Museum, charging my cell phone and laptop and trying to answer emails. I stared up at a fossil of this prehistoric turtle and thought to myself, “what am I doing?”

I hope you don’t have to ruin your vacation to recognize what I did: if you don’t have systems and structures in place then you can’t take a vacation, go visit a museum or board a flight without chaos following you.

This is not about replacing you so you become irrelevant – you may still be the linchpin of your business. But if your company cannot run without you for a few days you do not have a business, you have a job. And your boss is crazy.

Also you can never get the flu, be with a loved one in the hospital or get seriously ill yourself. Don’t even think about traveling the world or starting a family. Not exactly the life of freedom you envisioned?

Systems for your business don’t just ensure delegation happens so you can take a break but gives you freedom to leverage your time and work with more clients now.

Come on now, no one wants to bring their clients along on vacation and email should not be your number one concern when traveling. You work hard and deserve rest, relaxation and all by knowing that your business is running smoothly in your temporary absence.