How to take time off your wellness business (without feeling guilty)

December brings with it so many exciting things to occupy our minds and hearts. Yet, if you’re running your own business, it can also be an extremely challenging time. As we attempt to juggle all of the plates in the air above us, it can be hard to allow ourselves to slow down, enjoy the holidays and take time off. 

To be completely honest, I did toy with the idea of not taking a longer break this Christmas; of not 'allowing' myself to take time away from my business, because there is just so much to do and I didn’t want to ‘fall behind’.

So I came back to my mantra: my business, my decisions.

I worked so hard over the past year that I really really need a break. Like, a REAL break, the real deal, switching off fully, being present, enjoying life - WITHOUT feeling guilty or stressed or like I could/should be working instead. 

But the thought of taking time off also brought fears and worries about my business. How will I manage financially? Will my students keep coming back to my yoga classes after a longer break? Will I have forgotten half of my ideas, plans and projects that I’m working on, by the time I’ll get back to work in January?

So I sat down, looked at those fears and worked towards planning ahead and organising myself to holiday-proof my business. And let me tell you, I’ve been feeling so much calmer and way more excited about the upcoming holidays since then.

As it helped me so much, I decided to share my 7 top tips with you, so that you can stress less and truly look forward to resting and enjoying some well deserved time off.

1. Plan ahead and communicate clearly

Be sure to look at your diary and block off the days that you won’t be working. Just the act of blocking off time in your calendar can already feel great, like your vacation is more “official” (even if it’s just you who sees it ;)). Once you’ve made a plan that suits you best, communicate the dates clearly with your students/clients to let them know that you'll be away. If you have a studio or practice, make sure that everyone is informed of your holiday dates.

Likewise, if you have a team, make sure that everyone is briefed and encouraged to make their own plans, too. You could also post your festive opening hours/working times on your website and social media pages. 

2. Schedule your social media

You don’t want to be worrying about your social media feed and online community whilst you are enjoying your favourite Christmas food (or watching Home Alone for the 18763287th time). Instead, invest the time NOW to plan some content ahead, using free scheduling tools such as Planoly or Later.

You don’t have to create a lot of content or long captions. Only 1-3 posts per week that are scheduled to auto-post can help you to have more peace of mind during the holidays, knowing that you’re keeping up with the algorithm and sharing content that will keep your clients in touch with your brand. I put in one full working day to create and schedule all my social media posts until January 6th, and it feels SO good to have that done and out of my mind.

Or you can make a conscious choice to take a social media break, which can be a great idea and opportunity as well. In this case, make sure to let your followers know about it and tell them when you’ll be back, so you can really switch off.

Whatever you do - be intentional about it.

3. Set up an automated “out of office” email responder

This is such a useful, simple thing to do that will keep any email correspondence going, WITHOUT you having to constantly check your inbox. Whenever you receive an email, an automated reply is sent back to that person to let them know you’re away for the holidays. You can also pop in the date that you’ll be back again. 

Being prepared like this shows that you are professional and reliable, whilst you can still enjoy your break without any pressure to work or “just quickly reply to that one email”. 

If you’re using Gmail, it’s really easy to set such an auto-reply. Simply go to settings (top right), then click Out of Office AutoReply on. You can fill in the dates and add a personal, seasonal message. I have a handy template here for you to save you even more time. You can simply copy and paste it and adapt it to your own business and tone of voice:

Hi there,
This message is automated as I'm off on vacation until [insert date].
I will check my emails, but not as frequently as usual. I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. (OR: I won't have access to my emails and will get back to you after [date].)
Best wishes, [name]

It can also be more personal, like this:

Hi there,
Thanks for your email and happy holidays! I’m taking a few days off to spend time with my family and friends so I won’t be answering emails as quickly as usual. You can expect to hear back from me by [date].
Thanks & best wishes
[Name]

4. Find a reliable cover for your classes

If you’re teaching a regular class (yoga, pilates etc.), don’t leave it up to the last moment to find a cover teacher for it. Speak to other instructors, of whom you know that they may not be travelling over the festive season. Use social media, online communities or Facebook groups to put a message out there, if you don’t know anyone locally. Or maybe your students want to take a break as well and you don’t even need a cover (for example when you’re teaching at university or in corporate settings)? 

5. Make sure to note down any projects and tasks

It’s super important that you write down all of the projects you are currently working on, their current status, and all of the tasks related to them. This way you can easily find your way back into work once you’re back from vacation. All it takes is 10-15 minutes of your time, but, believe me, you will be SO thankful that you did this when you return to work and can’t even remember half of the stuff that’s been going on before your break.

I use Evernote and Trello to organise my notes and projects (both are free). I created two notes called “December projects” and “January to dos”, where I keep on writing down important thoughts whenever something pops up. You can of course also use your notebook or the notepad app on your phone/laptop. Doing a ‘braindump’ like that can feel like such a relief, knowing that you don’t have to stay focused trying to remember every tiny little task while you’re off work.

6. Create passive income streams

Granted, this tip is rather for the long run, but it can truly change your business and life. As a self-employed wellness practitioner, you probably have no holiday pay and it can be really scary to face time off without getting paid. By creating passive income streams, for example selling yoga classes online, you can still make an income while taking time off. If this isn’t something that you’ve looked at this year, you can always consider to prioritise it in the upcoming year. It will enable you to stress way less about taking time off and maybe even to do it more frequently.

Check out my blog post on how to start teaching yoga online, if you want to learn more about this topic.

7. Enjoy it - fully and truly! 

Remind yourself of why you set out on the path of becoming a wellness practitioner in the first place. Maybe you wanted a lifestyle that offers you more flexibility and freedom? NOW is your time to really embrace and celebrate that. Allow yourself to step out of the daily grind, enjoy some me-time, be with loved ones and really be present.

Self-care should always be one of your top priorities. Enjoying your holidays and setting yourself up for a worry-free time of rejuvenation will enable you to feel refreshed and ready to take on 2020 with vigour and a renewed sense of energy, creativity and joy.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous new year.

Laura