It is that time of year again when many of us look forward to taking some time off for summer vacation. We start planning vacations near and far and everywhere in-between. But with the economy still up in the air many people have been postponing time off trying to make sure they have done everything they could for their businesses. Cost is not the issue, since we can all find places to go or things to do that are as expensive or inexpensive as we make them. The point is to just make sure that you take some time off.
Too often we think we are indispensible at work and so we don’t always take the time we need. The truth is most of us can take time off without fear that the world will come to an end. Even the President takes vacation with his family. As important as our work is, and as much as we may enjoy what we do, it is very important to our frame of mind to take some time for ourselves and our families.
I am one of those who rarely took all the vacation time coming to me when I worked in the corporate world and now that I am a small business owner I take even less time off. This year is different.
This time I got a jump on summer and took a week off early to enjoy a little time in the Florida Keys. What I learned was amazing. Not just that I had a great time, which is what you would expect from a vacation, but my world did not implode. The clients and applicants that called while we were gone, all called back or left numbers for us to reach them when we returned. With today’s technology we can still stay in touch regardless of where we travel. Cell phones and Notebook computers let us stay on top of everything. However, we didn’t even need to. Without exception all of our clients that wanted information first wished us a pleasant trip and then requested that we wait till we get back before responding to them.
Having a chance to unwind made us feel so much better, when we came back that we were able to catch up very quickly and did not miss a beat. Our business is still doing well and we are feeling great. The only exception is the two pounds that I gained from eating everything in sight.
The bottom line is that it is not just my personal opinion being in favor of vacation, but the opinion of many doctors and psychologists. We all need time to rest our minds and bodies so this summer make some plans. Remember that Southern California is a vacation spot, so even if money is tight there are plenty of things to do around here. Whether you are the boss or an employee, taking the time off that you need, will make you significantly more productive than hanging around and just thinking you are indispensible.
Have a great summer.
PS: For some not so boring pictures of Key West set our Facebook page.
