Showing posts with label time off. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time off. Show all posts

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Challenge of Taking Time Off From Work to Unplug

If you’ve read any of my past posts, you may already know that I’m facing a big count down to move my family to another state in just four weeks. And I’m literally sweating bullets over it.
I haven’t moved in 12 years. Before that, however, moving was a sort of beloved past time for me. I'm sure my loyal male friends hated seeing my name flash across their caller ID every six months. Eventually I grew up, married a man who insisted on stability as far as residences go, so we settled down and bought a house putting my wandering ways to rest.

Now we must move due to necessity and I’m not so sure I’m up for the task. I mean I’m a little out of practice. One thing I do remember from my nomadic days is that it helps to give yourself a couple of days to get the necessities unpacked so you can quickly establish some semblance of normalcy even though the reality of digging stuff out of boxes over the next year is just part of the relocation package. That means I will need to take a few days off from work and unplug.
Staying away from my computer and resisting the desire to constantly check my phone for emails, Tweets, updates and what not won’t be easy. I spend so much time scrolling through my phone and responding to emails while talking to my husband that he jokingly refers to me as a teenager.

So, back to unplugging… You may be thinking about this too if you’re planning to take some time off this summer. I work on completing projects currently in the pipeline and letting clients know that I’ll be unavailable for however long I need to be away.

How do you prepare to unplug and take time off from work?

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Freelance writers need vacations too

I confess: I haven't taken a vacation since I began freelancing in the Fall of 2007. But this summer my family is looking forward to attending a family reunion, and I'm busy making plans to handle my business while I'm gone. On the one hand I want to be able to relax and enjoy myself for a few days without worrying about business. I'll be away for less than a week, so it's possible; but realistically I know I won't be able to resist checking my email at least once or twice.

Finding the right vacationing strategy

I've heard two different schools of thought about how freelance writers should handle vacations. Some say you should outsource the work to another writer you trust and completely avoid telling clients you'll be away. That seems a little risky if you're pretending like you're still available because you'd still be required to stay on top of all email correspondence; and that's no way to relax and have fun.

Others advise telling clients upfront that you have a vacation scheduled. Let them know your return date, and if you like, supply them with the name(s) of another writer who can help them in your absence. The problem many freelancers have with this plan is that they are afraid of losing clients while they are away.

I firmly believe you need some sort of plan in place to successfully schedule time off. Few clients will be surprised to learn that you're taking some much needed time off. Here are a few tips that can make the planning process less of a pain:

Tell your clients that you will be unavailable.
Make sure to provide them with the necessary dates of your departure and return. Make sure you provide enough advance notice, which can be tricky. Some bigger projects might require a couple of month's notice, while 30 days notice works for others.

Work ahead of schedule if possible. Write and preschedule blog posts, spend a little extra time finishing up projects before your vacation so that nothing is left hanging until you return. Organize your office and files so when you return getting back to work is much easier.

Find a back up writer.
Just in case there is an emergency you can't handle while you're away, or as a courtesy for those projects that just can't wait. This could be viewed as extremely good customer service on your end.

I'm sure there are other several other good ways to prepare for time off I may have missed. How do you handle vacation time?
 
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