In this busy economic-driven time, everyone wants to get ahead in the race by putting their heads down to make a living either as an employee or as a boss. However, mental health is important to everyone. Thus, the old adage, “everyone needs a break,” applies. Actually, it should be changed to “everyone should take a break.”

The daily grind of trying to make a living, making a huge success for your business, or aiming for that one big break takes a toll on one’s mind and body. If you do not take a break and arrange your work–life balance, then instead of success, you may end up mentally and physically fatigued.

For an entrepreneur, the situation is on a large scale, since you have a business to take care of, people to pay, and supplies to procure and purchase. Just think of the myriad things that make operating a business like a well-oiled machine.

The growth of your business results in the increase of the number of clients that you need to satisfy and to chase after. Thus, you may begin to worry further once your business gets off the ground. You have to source materials that may further make your business viable. New technology and innovations must be also applied to speed up and simplify business processes.

You must think of ways to save, increase profits, pay off duties and taxes, and avoid seeing red in your bottom line.

One of the things that many savvy entrepreneurs do to be able to get away from the business without worry is to prepare for it. You can train your staff to handle things from their end without depending on you too much. Empower them and allow them to help you grow your business rather than doing everything by yourself. Learn to delegate as early as possible, so that your staff will know for which task they are responsible and the things that need your direct supervision and approval.

If they are fully invested in your company, they become motivated to make it successful. You’ll also feel relaxed knowing that you can take some time out of the office and come back, with the business still intact.

It cannot be discounted though that being an entrepreneur can be a cause of constant worry, and entrepreneurs are constant worriers, don’t they? We see other entrepreneurs living a happy, simple, and well-balanced life while enjoying growing their business— hands-on. How do they manage to do that? Here are some tips on taking a time off from managing your business for a week or more without worries.

Before taking your vacation

  1. Choose a trusted employee to take over your responsibilities. Have a meeting with the person to discuss what you expect from him or her and what should be left alone until you come back. This meeting should be done two weeks before you take your vacation. If you cannot appoint someone from your office, consider hiring a temporary staff to do the managing for you. It’s a good idea to document your business workflow and processes, which the person in charge can follow. It can also be used to train the person who’ll take over your responsibilities while you’re away. Make sure that the temporary manager understands the cash flow, inventory, deliveries, and other items that increase your staff’s and business’s efficiency.
  1. Introduce your temporary manager to most of your clients and suppliers to help the new person build a rapport with them and to make everyone comfortable with one another in discussing matters without your presence. Thus, any issue can be efficiently resolved without the need to get in touch with you.
  1. It would be a good idea not to take on any big project before your planned vacation. Postpone it until you’re back. You should anticipate that a big project has numerous details to iron out and deadlines that might run over your vacation time.
  1. Even if you’re taking a week off or two, ensure that your e-mail is set with an out-of-office autoreply. Include the name and e-mail address of the person you’ve left in charge, so your clients and business associates will know whom to get in touch with for questions. Turn off the mobile notification on your mobile devices as well.
  1. Take care of the things that need your personal supervision or signature, such as renewing a license or a lease, paying balances for supplies, or bank loans, if they will coincide with your time away from the office.
  1. Going on a vacation does not mean you should be out of reach. Leave your contact information with the most senior or trusted employee, with explicit instructions that you should only be contacted in case of an emergency. The instructions should also clarify the things that should be brought to your immediate attention, those that they can handle on their own, and those that can be postponed until you return.

While on vacation

What’s your objective in taking a vacation from work? Isn’t it to recharge and relax? So take things easy, since you are already in your chosen destination for a bit of R&R. Now, don’t fiddle with your fingers, which is a sign that you’re starting to worry about the things in the office. Here are the things that you should do.

  1. You do not have to be totally incommunicado but set a limit to your computer and phone usage. Thirty minutes each day is enough to do a bit of work. It is best to do this is the morning, because the rest of the day is already set aside for your vacation activities. Doing it at night gives you more reasons to keep on working. Giving yourself a time limit will ensure that you do not get carried away and start working earnestly once again. This time is enough to check on things and be informed.
  1. Learn to focus and enjoy each moment. If you’ve resolved to check your e-mails for thirty minutes each morning, focus on that activity. Once you’ve done that, focus on the activities planned for the day whether you are joining a tour group or spending time with your partner or family. Make it a point to enjoy each activity to make your vacation well worth it.
  1. Schedule to come back home on a Saturday instead of Sunday. Why? Coming home on a Saturday gives you time to collect yourself, get things around the house in order, and check your e-mails closely. When Monday comes and you’re back in the office, you’ll be ready to go and yet still feel relaxed.

Once you are back in the office, ease yourself back to work slowly and do not attempt to tackle everything as soon as you get back. Handle anything that needs your immediate attention and spread your meetings throughout the week. This will help you to get back in the groove without stress.

To help you get used to the idea of getting out of the office for a bit, consider the benefits of using a shared office or a private office like those from Flyspaces that you can rent by the hour, by the day, or on a weekly or monthly basis.

You get all the trimmings of a proper office environment and continue managing your business but without the usual interruptions that is part and parcel of a regular office. You’ll find that you’ll get more things done. If you opt for a shared office, share and learn from like-minded individuals and teams.

Sometimes doing things out of the box helps you come up with better ideas, innovate, and get updated on the current business trends and what’s happening in the real world without any filter.

It may be difficult to pry yourself away from work if you are an entrepreneur, especially if you are going to have a vacation after two or three years. But once you get used to the idea, you’ll notice that you will be able to get more things done after a brief respite.

Having a vacation is sharpening the most important tool in your business— yourself. And if you know that you are managing your business well, you’ll feel more relaxed and can take time off work without any guilt.