I hope you have some fun travel plans this summer. I spent Independence Day weekend in Nashville, TN with some close friends, vacationed in Greece with Mr. Upside and more friends, and spent time with my kids in the mountains of New Hampshire.
Taking time for myself in Zakynthos, Greece
Recently inside The Upside, we had a transparent conversation about how to handle work and clients when we go on vacation.
Can you fully shut off?
Do you even want to fully shut off?
Can you afford to shut off?
What I noticed in this conversation is that, in a room full of entrepreneurs who are building lives and businesses that work on their terms, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to balancing work and vacation.
But here’s what everyone did share in common when it comes to taking vacation:
Knowing your boundaries and communicating to clients are two non-negotiables for getting it right.
Let’s start with boundaries:
My clients (members of The Upside) know when I’m on vacation. In fact, I celebrate when I’m on vacation because I want to set an example for creating healthy boundaries around our work.
While I’m away, I choose to check my emails periodically, usually around 4pm when there’s downtime in the hotel room. I’m simply screening for anything that I feel needs an immediate response.
It’s my choice to check emails because it makes me feel better to know all is running smoothly while I’m away.
But I have boundaries, too.
It starts with changing my OOO automated email reply to remind everyone what to expect from me while I’m away and who to reach out to if their request is time-sensitive.
And I won’t work while I’m on vacation. No decks, deliverables, interviews, or business calls.
Here’s how you can start thinking about your own boundaries before ever stepping foot on that airplane, RV, car, or train:
- Will you work on vacation?
- If yes, what work will you do on vacation?
- What work won’t you do on vacation?
- Will you check your emails?
- Will you respond to emails?
- If yes, do you have a time block when people can expect a response?
Now, let’s talk about communication:
I’ve learned the hard way that hiding the fact that you’re on vacation from clients is a quick path to ruining your time off (and possibly your client relationships).
In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been so miserable on vacation as when I was trying not to show that I was on vacation. It was literally the worst of both worlds: not quite working, not quite enjoying the time away.
Let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with being an entrepreneur who takes a vacation. In fact, let’s celebrate it!
…as long as you communicate mutual expectations to your clients.
Here are some ideas our members shared:
- Add a line about vacation time into your long-term contracts. Incorporate when and how they can reach you (if at all), if you will still work while away, and how your time away may affect timelines. Build it all into your contract.
- If it’s a shorter-term contract and you already know you’ll be away during the engagement, build that into the timeline and make it clear when you’ll be traveling and offline.
- As soon as you know you’ll be on vacation, no matter how far in advance it may be, let your clients know.
- Add your client to an OOO vacation calendar invite so they have it in their calendar that you’ll be away. In the calendar invite, repeat what they can expect from you, if anything at all, while you’re traveling.
- Before you leave, communicate with your clients again about what they can expect from you and how it will or won’t impact the work. Discuss any coverage you may have planned for them.
- Frame your time off as a good thing, not something you’re doing to them or that takes away from them.
And finally, never forget that you have agency over what work you’re willing to do while on vacation.
In our Upside discussion, we all learned that there’s no right or wrong answer to the best way to handle work and clients when you’re on vacation.
Design your own boundaries, ones that work for the life and business you’re building, and communicate them to your clients early and clearly.
And if you want to join in on conversations like these with me, our members and other Upside-curious guests, then save your spot for our next Open House where I’ll give you an insider tour of our community and answer your questions, live!
