| This week I'm back from a 2 week vacation to the Gulf Coast with my family. Though I do travel lots, and pride myself on being able to occasionally disconnect from my business without an issue, I've never unplugged from my business for more than a week. But when this particular trip was booked, I vowed to myself that there would be no business. No emails, no meetings, not even any team communication. I wanted to leave it all behind for 2 weeks. So I did it. I went two weeks without talking to my team or even checking my email. Let me repeat - I took my email off my phone and did not even open my inbox for two solid weeks. And here's what happened: Not a damn thing. My world didn't fall apart. Not a bit of shit hit the fan. I didn't miss a single opportunity. Instead I relaxed and disconnected like never before. And it felt damn good. Now, truthfully, I probably could not have done this in my business even a year ago. Especially two or three years ago. But at this point in my business(es), where I have systems and processes in place that allow me to seamlessly and easily walk away, I can unplug without fear of anything. Here's how I did it: We all know how to do our job.
We know how to run through business smoothly. And when things don't go smoothly, we know how to course correct. Years of perfecting systems and processes, of clear communication, and of working together to build a finely-tuned business machine makes for some smooth sailing. I prepared my team.
For weeks I've reminded my team weekly that I would soon be out and unavailable during my vacation, prompting them to get with me about anything they needed before then. They knew it was coming, and they were ready. I got my own shit done.
Before I left, I took care of everything on my to-do list and in my inbox. I did my job, so that I could rest and so that I wasn't impeding my team's ability to get anything done. We recognize that we're not saving lives.
Though there are surely some professions that are saving lives, our online business is not one of them. There's no emergency that would require me to be contacted, short of one of my team members having some sort of freak accident. So, given a normal week, or even a slightly abnormal week, there's no reason I should have been woken from my beach nap. We all know where that line is drawn - it's all about perspective. I put up my auto-responder.
Anyone who landed in my inbox was sufficiently aware that I was unavailable. All I got were sweet replies from folks wishing me a fab vacation. Expectations make for golden experiences. I didn't cheat.
I didn't sneak into my inbox a single time. That was the hard line I drew for myself - no email. And I didn't allow anyone to sneak in meetings or phone calls. I didn't leave myself open to my team. I committed to unplugging, and I unplugged. - - - - TO-DO FOR YOU:
If you're not consistently setting up systems in your business, and managing your own time to get your own shit done, then you're not setting your business up to be left alone. Work on those things this week, and start plotting out that getaway of your own. - - - - ARE YOU A WEB DESIGNER LOOKING FOR BETTER SYSTEMS? Our process-packed Rock Your Web Design Business course is opening later this summer. Get on the list to be the first to know >> | 