Ep 21 - Steal These Tips for Taking Unplugged Time Off as an Entrepreneur

Have you ever wondered how to truly take unplugged time off without it wreaking havoc on your business? In this episode, I'm about to spill the beans on the game changing tips and strategies that will allow you to step away from the hustle and have time to recharge, reconnect, and come back stronger than ever. Dive in with me and discover the keys to achieving that much needed balance. Are you a successful business owner who has a laundry list of ideas and struggles to achieve your big goals? Welcome to the CEO Amplify podcast. I'm your host, Donna Dube, and my goal is to empower you to drive meaningful change and amplify your profits without the overwhelm. Join us as we provide actionable solutions for visionary CEOs like yourself to up level your CEO skills, Streamline operations and master strategic prioritization. Learn how to scale your business to new heights Working smarter, not harder. If you're ready to reclaim your time and accelerate your growth, let's dive in and start this exciting adventure Together. Remember, the only limit to your business growth is the one you set for yourself.

Welcome back, CEOs. As I record this episode, we're at the beginning December, the last month of the year and also a time when many of us seem to take downtime, maybe plan some holidays with family and friends, or when I ask you about planning and taking a totally unplugged vacation, How does that make you feel? Planning a time away from your business to recharge and spend quality time with your family, Totally unplugged. And what I mean by that is that you don't even bring your laptop with you or your phone. Your team and your clients have no contact with you for the time that you're off. I know for so many of the clients I work with every time they think about taking a vacation to relax and recharge, they get this wave of anxiety that just washes over them. The thought of leaving their business unattended fills them with unease. And how about you? Does it sound familiar? Well, if it is, then I want you to keep listening today because I'm gonna share some tips to allow you to take a vacation totally unplugged. Over the years, I've had the privilege of helping entrepreneurs achieve that balance that they both need and deserve.

These strategies have transformed their perspective, allowing them to not only delegate effectively, but also to organize their business a way that ensures a smooth, stress free time away. So instead of feeling anxious at the thought of leaving your business, you can actually pack your bags and head to a tropical paradise knowing that your team has got everything under control. No more guilt, no more anxiety, just pure relaxation and rejuvenation. It's so, so important to recharge and make the most of your time off. I know sometimes in our relentless pursuit of success, we as entrepreneurs often overlook such a fundamental truth. And that is that to lead effectively, we must first take care of ourselves. Unplugging from the daily grind isn't just a luxury, my friends. It's a strategic necessity.

It's a chance to recharge, gain fresh perspectives, make better decisions, and of course, nurture your own well-being. Taking time away without the constant pull of emails and tasks not only benefits you, but also your business. And I realize that for some of you, this may seem counterintuitive as you're trying to grow and scale your business. However, I want you to face the facts that the science proves otherwise. Not taking unplugged time away actually causes your decision making to suffer, your productivity to decline, and of course, your personal relationships to deteriorate. The truth is that re that the relentless grind stifles our creativity and also damages the very foundation of sustainable success for your business. Over the years, I've learned a handful of tips that have helped myself and my clients navigate delegation and organize in a way that ensures a smooth and stress free time away. Of course, things may come up and that's okay, but why not take some time and give some of these tips a try so you're ready for your next vacation with a little experience under your belt.

Alright, let's dive in. Number one thing to do before you want to take this time off is to plan and update your calendar. Take control of your time off by blocking off specific periods for yourself. So inside the 90 day sprint, every quarter, we're looking at those 3 months, and the first thing we do is block off time for ourselves. Whether that's going to be a half day away, a full day away or a whole week away, make sure we've got that time blocked off and it's clear right from the start. And then you want to prepare for your time away by adding some buffer days before and after. And this helps to ensure a smoother transition and avoids that last minute chaos. I'm sure some of you have had As before, working like a dog the week before vacation because you have so much to finish before you go away.

And then when you get back, you work like a dog the week after vacation to catch up. I want you to do it differently. So I want you to build in those buffer days, build in a day at the end and the beginning of your vacation, when you may be at work somewhat. You may log into your emails, do a few things. It's not a full on day for you. It's a gradual transition back into it and a gradual transition out before you you go for vacation. All right. Tip number 2 is prepare your workspace.

The truth is A clutter free workspace equals a clutter free mind. So before you go away for your vacation, take the time to tidy up your area. Organize your tasks within your project management tool. Create a clear space that allows you to focus and be productive when you get back. So that when you get back, you have a clear desk and you can really sit down and do what needs to get done. Tip number 3, communication. Effective communication is key here. You need to let your clients and your team know about your absence in advance.

Give them the dates and a contact information for who they can reach out to if they need something. And last but not least, don't forget to set up one of those out of office messages, so that if you have a new person who emails you, they can understand that you're away and they know who to contact. This helps manage expectations ahead of time, right? So that both your team and your client know what's going on. All right, tip number 4, leverage technology and automation. We want to take advantage of the technology that we have available to us in this online space. So if you have marketing related content that you would still like to be posted while you're away, preschedule it. Things like social media posts, email newsletters, ad campaigns, podcast episodes, they can all be scheduled ahead of time. To ensure that your online presence remains active even while you're away.

So depending on if these things are part of your role or part of your team's role, they can be scheduled ahead of time. So if you have a a a part to play in this, make sure you do your part and get those in to your team ahead ahead of time. So for example, if I'm gonna take vacation, I need to do some batching of podcast episodes and record a few ahead of time so that my team can then take them, edit them, and get them published for me. So they're still coming out on a weekly basis and I don't have to be here to make it happen. Tip number 5, delegate, delegate, delegate. This really helps when you delegate and empower your team, giving them tasks and responsibilities, trusting them to make decisions in your absence. Effective delegation not only lightens your workload, but also really in fosters employee growth and development. So before you go away, I want you to take the time to review what tasks you're currently doing and evaluate what can be done by your team ahead of time.

So by planning, I'm going away next month for the 1st week of the month, let's say. So I take time now to look at what am I doing and what of those tasks could I delegate to a team member. And then you want to prepare your team member for taking over this task ahead of time. Possibly even do a dry run or a test run with them so you're clear And they are clear on what the expectations are. Men when your way, they can take over and continue that task for you. Now I know for some of you, if you haven't delegated before, it can feel like a big mountain and it can be hard. But remember, delegation is not a Nine of weakness. Instead, it's actually very strategic, helping you optimize your productivity and maintain your well-being.

So I encourage you to take that leap and empower yourself and your team to reach new levels. And if you'd like more help with delegation, tune into episode 13 of this podcast where I talk about the 7 steps for preparing to delegate to your team. Alright. Tip number 6, learn from your return. So we've planned, we've delegated, we've gone away. Now, when we get back, we want to take a close look and any holdups or any urgent matters that occurred. Reflect on what happened and why, and then use those insights to refine your next time that you're going away. I even encourage you making an out of office checklist so that the next time you're planning a vacation, you can run through that checklist and make sure you have everything in place.

Yes, continuous improvement is the name of the game. Tip number 7, giving it a test run. So some of you may be listening now. You've never actually taken a totally unplugged vacation. And to be honest with you, you're scared. You're really concerned that your business is going to fall apart while you're gone. And if you're feeling that way, as you're listening to me talk, then I want you to try a test run. And by a test run, I mean pick a short amount of time when you're going to be out of the office, but still available, still able to get on your laptop if you need to.

So whether that's a full day, a half day, a couple of days, but pick a short time when you're gonna be away. You don't plan to work on your computer or be on your phone. But if something really urgent does happen, your team can still reach you. So give your team a dry run, give yourself a dry run, and it really helps you to identify any potential challenges that might come up, and allows you to fine tune what you're delegating and how your team should operate. And you'll feel much more confident after that dry run to then leave for a longer amount of time. So give it a try. I'd love to hear how it works for you. And the last tip I have is to have backup and cross training plans.

So those of you who have a team in place already, I want you to choose a point of contact who can keep things running smoothly in your absence. You want to make sure that you have reliable team members that you can depend on. So as you can see 2 big pieces of information here that I really want you to take away from this episode. Collaboration and preparation are your friends. Alright. I hope this episode has helped you believe that first you deserve and should take totally unplugged time away from your business. And I hope it's given you some helpful actionable tips on how to do that with success. Speaking of taking action, I would love for you to hop on over To the Facebook group CEO Amplify, and let me know if you plan on taking unplugged time away from your business, and which one of these tips you found most helpful.

Thanks for listening, and I can't wait to bring you another episode next week. Thank you for joining me on this episode of CEO Amplify. I appreciate you being part of our thriving community of ambitious business owners. If you enjoy today's episode, kindly ask you to share this podcast with a friend and take a hot minute to rate and leave a review, it would mean the world to me. Your feedback helps me reach more people and continue providing valuable Content. Thanks so much for your support. Keep shining, and we'll catch you on the next episode.