We’ve touched on the subject of time off here in the home business blog a time or two–trying to work out some balance between our work, families, personal time, etc. But, this morning, I wanted to talk about serious time off–wondering how and when other home business operators find the time to take real vacations. Is there a time of year when vacations work best? Who’s schedule dictates when you are able to take vacations (kids, spouse, yours)? Or, are you like me and it’s been absolutely YEARS since you actually had an authentic vacation?
Some businesses seem to have natural “down times” when vacations make more sense–but that doesn’t always coordinate with when a partner or the kids might have the time for a vacation. It seems some families build vacations around the kids’ school vacation time–whether it be Summer, Winter or Spring breaks, the parent(s) take time off and that’s when vacations happen. But, what if your home business is really flourishing in the Summer? Will you still take the time off for a family vacation or build a vacation around another time of the year (even if you have to take the kids out of school?)
And while we’re on the subject of vacations, I’d be interested in hearing whether people take their vacations with or without kids (or both). For a parent who not only runs a business enterprise from home, but is also available full time to raise children–a “true” vacation might involve a little rest and relaxation and away time from both of those challenges! If you are planning a couples-only or personal vacation, it might be easier to schedule it around your business obligations and you don’t have as many personal schedules to maneuver around (maybe!).
We know that vacations and time off are important, and yet the United States has one of the lowest “time off days” rates of any developed country in the world. How are you handling vacations while running a home business? When is the best time of the year for you to take a vacation? Any words of wisdom or inspiration for those of us still trying to get ourselves balanced enough for a little time off?