It is vacation season!
Everyone and their dog are on vacation right now. Except you because you are self-employed.
You must be thinking,
How do I take a vacation?
I need to be there for my clients.
I have to make money.
I can not take a vacation.
Trust me. I have been there. You are not alone.
In the last three weeks, a few of my one-on-one private clients began preparing to go on vacation. They all felt they should not take a break just in case their team or clients needed them. They felt the fear of missing out on money. The questions that came up were; “How do I do this? ” and “How do I prepare for a vacation?”.
I could feel how stressed they were before going on vacation. And guess what, that is the number one sign that you need a break.
Maybe you are wondering if it is possible to take a vacation as an entrepreneur.
Well, let me tell you, you probably need one.
It is a known fact that taking a vacation increases productivity. So, if your work is suffering and you are questioning if this is the right business path, then take a break.
Let me share a little bit about how that was for me, a projector. Being a high-achiever, connecting my value to my output, it was hard for me to take a break and let myself relax. I have helped several of my clients really relax during their vacations. So I will share strategic and Human Design tips on how you can approach taking a vacation.
By reading this article you will also be able to recognize the unique patterns that help you become aware of when you need to take a break or vacation.
If you are new to human design, I recommend downloading my free guide to align your human design and your business. You can download it for free HERE!
The guide will give you more insight into your Human Design than I will share in this article.
✨ How does an entrepreneur go on vacation and enjoy it?
As a digital nomad, I traveled (6 years of traveling and working) but did not take many vacations. I was in hustling mode, living my life as a generator. So, I did not see the need to go on vacation until I hit rock bottom. While experiencing exhaustion, I decided to take a break and go to Thailand. I was living in Malaysia at the time. I had a hard time planning for this vacation.
Deciding is one thing, but planning and taking action are different altogether. I was struggling to book a hotel and a flight. I was even struggling to put it on my calendar!
I knew I needed a break but subconsciously refused to take action.
You could say I became a pro at dodging my boyfriend’s questions about the vacation. It was so bad that he ended up planning everything. He updated my calendar and forced me to go on vacation because I could not concentrate on work at that point. I was hyper-focused on clients and not so much on myself, and he saw that I needed to take a break. He is a projector too, so he could sense that I needed it. But, I was still in the pressure zone.
✨I have an undefined root center, heart center, and sacral center
I could still feel the pressure to finish projects, continue my work with clients, to keep working because I believed that is where my value was. Neither could I realize I needed a vacation. Once I went, it took me three days to enjoy my 6-day break. It took me that long to take responsibility and focus on my rest. I got waay better at taking vacations over the years, but I do not want that to happen to you.
I have certainly become great at relaxing over the years. So good that I am planning on taking a 10-day vacation later this year. Not the digital nomad type of vacation where there is work and travel but a real vacation. There is a big difference between a vacation, a workation, and just traveling. A workation, according to the Stephanie Smolders dictionary, is a new inspiring environment you work well in, a place that gets your creative juices flowing. It could be a scheduled/organized trip with others or a trip you plan for yourself.
A vacation explains itself; traveling is when you go from point A to B for work or to meet up with someone.
These three things, vacation, workation, and just traveling to see family are very different in how they fill your soul. Each gives you a unique experience. So, it is vital to check with yourself and find out what you need and desires right now.
✨Time off serves your business.
It gives value back to your business. It is an opportunity to reset your creative juices. Once in a while, permit yourself to unwind.
Something that I see happening a lot with my clients who either have an undefined heart center or an undefined sacral center is that their value is related to providing services.
They feel unworthy to take a vacation because they are not of service to anyone else at that time. If you identify with that statement, you should check your human design chart to see if you have an undefined sacral or heart (will) center.
And another thing that I noticed myself, maybe you might identify that too.
I have an undefined root center, which means I feel the pressure to finish things. So the two weeks before I go on vacation are stressful because I would be in a race against the clock. If that is something that you notice as well, then it could be that your root center in your chart is acting up and wanting you to finish all your tasks and projects.
But the reality is you cannot and will not be able to complete everything before you go on vacation. And sometimes, the biggest lesson is to let go of that control. Accepting this reality will help lessen your load and reduce stress significantly, making it easier to rest during a vacation.
✨Here are my five tips to use before, during, and after your vacation:
TIP #1: Inform your clients and your team that you are going to take a vacation and what they can expect from you
If you leave your availability out in the open, you might feel pressure to make yourself available. Let your clients and team know when you will be available again. You can create a code or something in case of an emergency or when your attention is needed. I use an emoji with my 1:1 clients. While they have access to me via Telegram, they know that I am not available when I am on vacation, and I will only reply when they use a specific emoticon.
If you want to be available to your clients or team, I suggest designating a time during the day to attend to them.
So, for example, I would look at my messages every morning after breakfast to only respond to emergencies. Even though I would not be available to respond to messages, I would still check them every morning after breakfast. I scheduled a 30-minute time slot to check messages and my social media. I did not continuously pressure myself to check every couple of hours.
If it proves difficult for you to exercise self-discipline, then it is more than okay to delete social media and other apps from your phone during your vacation.
TIP #2: Make a list of priority tasks you need to do after a vacation
If you feel pressure to continuously get all your work done before you go on vacation, make a short list of tasks you will need to do. If you make a list with the top priorities, your brain and body will be aware of all the open projects/tasks you are yet to finish. When you do that, your nervous system will be calm, and you can rest easy. Upon return, you can tackle these tasks with zero pressure.
While coming up with your list, set realistic expectations.
Yes, you will feel rested and refreshed from vacation, but that does not mean you have quadrupled your superpowers. You might think that you can do all the tasks on your list the next day after your return home, but that is not true. And that brings us to the next tip.
TIP #3: Remember to give yourself some time to relax, settle down and root yourself again in your environment
I never unpack immediately upon return. I take half a day to get groceries and walk around my apartment. I run around in my pyjamas to settle back in my space. So give yourself time to settle down and digest your vacation because you would have been blissed out. You will need to re-adjust your routine and take it one step at a time.
Give yourself buffer time.
Do not immediately expect yourself to do everything on your list. Do not start with answering your emails or anything similar. It can wait another day. However, I recommend starting with the big tasks you could not complete before you left. Tasks that need a fresh dose of inspiration and take more concentration to complete. That will help you ease into your routine and rebuild good work habits.
TIP #4: Journal about that vacation idea
Taking a break helps you to get inspiration and productivity back. It reconnects you to your mission and vision. Often when you let go of the expectations, new ideas come up. See, when wide-eyed, you will see the wonder. You will shift from struggling to coming up with an email topic to coming up with great headlines that will last you a whole year.
While in a different, relaxing environment, you will find new inspiration. Make sure you take a journal or something to pen down all your thoughts. I love to record them as little audio messages and listen to them upon return from vacation.
TIP #5: Incorporate your vacation vibe into your home/business routine
People often enjoy the vacation vibe and a back-home vibe. I want to challenge you to incorporate some of the things you do on vacation into your home/business routine. Some behaviors you exhibit during your vacation would be good to incorporate into your daily routine.
A more elaborate breakfast? YES, please!
A night walk after dinner? Do that when you get back home!
✨Bonus tip for generators or manifesting generators:
You might want to schedule some work sessions on vacation
I have noticed that my generator/manifesting generator clients prefer to stay low-key connected to their business during vacation. You can do so as long as it feels good and healthy to you. You could take a 30-minute or one-hour work session so that you feel that connection and expand your energy. Maybe not every day on your vacation, but maybe for a few days to see if it makes a difference to how connected you stay to your business.
If some of my sacral clients do not schedule a few work sessions during vacation, they tend to have difficulty getting back into their business routines. It feels like completely starting anew.
Keeping the momentum.
Just like a diesel car that needs to warm up before hitting the road, having a few work sessions during the vacation helps generators and manifesting generators keep warm and its full speed ahead once the break is over.
Are you going on vacation this year?
It is not going to ruin your business, and you are not going to lose your clients. You are worthy of taking a break, connecting back to yourself, and doing fun things just for you. Remember, it is an opportunity for you to be recharged, reset, and inspired.
As a projector, I love to see how my content has an impact. I’m inviting you to reach out on Instagram or in the comments below.
Share this episode on Instagram and tag me @stephanie.smolders or simply reach out.
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