The importance of taking a Holiday if self employed...

by Startacus Admin

We've all been there...Ring true?

“I can’t take a holiday, I am self employed!”

As tough as it may seem when you have stacks and stacks of work in front of you (or the panic of no work at all!), taking a holiday is a fundamental self management issue (albeit a really hard trick to perform!).

However with a postive mentality in mind, Startacus explores the advantages of taking a holiday when self employed...

You see the Bigger Picture
Not only are you looking at a new view (quite often via a balcony), taking a holiday means you take the time to see the bigger picture. A key reason you may have become self employed is to avoid the draconian 9 - 5 that employment offers you. Also, when you are knee deep in paperwork or managing a project, how often do you take time out to consider the fundamentals of what you're self employed business is really for? In the quiet harmony of some time out, you may recharge your creative juices, or give yourself the space to answer that big issue.

Makes you delegate your faith in others
Being self employed, often does not mean working by yourself. You may employ staff, or have freelancers that you can count on. An important self employed skill, is learned to trust others and to delegate your faith in other people's capabilities. Being a control freak, only means that you are not really in self control of your business. Therefore by really and truly removing yourself from the day to day business, you are allowing yourself to trust that the business will not only survive, but thrive in your absence.

If you work on your own and cannot delegate to others, try to forward plan so that you can clear all your work load for that all important break before you go and know that your regular clients and customers are aware of this break too. Setting up ‘out of office’ email alerts and emailing clients well in advance, may mean you delegate your intentions to others to respect this break too.

Gets you creating again!
Quite often someone becomes self employed as they work out that they can ‘do a job’ on their own and still earn a good wage. That eureka moment is also followed by a creative period where you work out what you can do or offer and if there is a market for ‘said’ business. Creatively this may be when you are at your creative best - in fact this may be the only time you spend being truly creative. This approach is often wrong, and taking time out to be creative, be it during a holiday or otherwise is vital. This is not to say that working during your holiday is the right way to go, but you often find that when your mind is clear from the everyday chores of work, you start thinking creatively about a whole load of things - work included.

Work Life Balance
Reality check time! That ol’ cliched chestnut! But it is true. The reason why, when employed, you are given 20 days holiday and 9 bank holidays, is not just because it is a government requirement. Taking space away from work is because work is, ultimately, work. Don’t forget it. Those of us who just live for work, are not valuing all the other things that make life so valuable...(that was deep man).

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Published on: 1st September 2012