Dr Jeff Cornwall

From time to time I have written about the importance of vacations or just time off for entrepreneurs. Judy Artunian at the NFIB web site offers their take on this topic.
“More often than not, the entrepreneurs who could stand to gain the most from taking a two-week vacation are often the ones who can’t bear to be away from their business for more than two days. If you’re having trouble breaking away for that leisurely trip to the Bahamas or to your brother’s lakefront cabin, it might be time to re-orient your thinking about vacations.”
She says it can be good for your company, good for your employees and good for your ability to deal with the stresses your venture keeps sending your way.
And as I also recommend, she says to make sure to really take time off.
“Eighty percent of small-business owners check e-mail or voice mail while they’re on vacation, according to the results of a recent survey conducted jointly by Thomas Industrial Network and the U. S. Small Business Administration; try not to be one of them. Too much checking in will dilute the regenerative powers of a vacation. Urge your staff to call you if they need help with a matter that can’t wait until you return, but stress to them that you need this time to decompress from the pressures of work.”
Before one vacation I told my staff that they should only call me if the office burns down (completely) or if someone would die if they didn’t contact me before I got back. (I still got two calls, but neither had anything to do with a fire or a potential death…..).