How to Take Time Off Without Hurting Your Business
Many business owners dream of creating freedom, yet struggle to give themselves permission to take time off. They plan to “one day” enjoy holidays, weekends away, or even just a quiet day without the laptop, but in reality, they keep pushing, convinced that stepping away will make everything fall apart.
The ability to take time off doesn’t begin with systems or planning. Those matter, but they’re not the starting point. Freedom starts with mindset.
The Mindset That Keeps You Chained to Work
There are two beliefs that stop business owners from enjoying real time off:
Doubting their business can run without them.
Believing they don’t deserve time off unless they have “earned” it.
This plays out in the inner chatter:
“How will I make money while I’m not working?”
“What if clients go somewhere else while I’m away?”
“What if people think I’m not serious?”
That noise is what keeps people glued to their laptops, even though the whole reason they started a business was to create freedom.
If you don’t allow yourself joy and pleasure through holidays and rest, your body will eventually force you into downtime through illness, exhaustion, or burnout. And recovery takes longer when rest is forced, because there’s no joy or anticipation, only frustration and depletion.
When you plan for joy, however, everything shifts. Even short breaks fuel you with energy and motivation because you have chosen them. You return more invested, more creative, and more productive.
Resentment Is a Sign of Missing Boundaries
Working without pause doesn’t make you more productive. It slows you down, wears you out, and often leads to resentment toward your business.
Resentment is a signal that boundaries aren’t being held. It shows you know there is a problem but haven’t expressed your needs or acted to solve it. Time off is not indulgence. It is a boundary that protects your health, creativity, and sustainability.
The Practical Side of Taking Time Off
Once your mindset is on board, the practical layer becomes easy to set up. Here are three areas to focus on:
1. Annual Planning
Know your expenses and revenue goals so you are not living week to week. Include holidays and lifestyle desires in your calculations. For example, I work client-facing three days a week for 46 weeks each year. Because I know my revenue goals and offers, I continuously pay myself a wage whether I am at work or on holiday.
2. Systems, Structure, and Scheduling
Plan ahead. Before leaving for my recent trip to Europe, I had podcasts and emails scheduled, holiday content queued for Facebook, and an auto-responder set up with a booking link. Nothing fell behind.
3. Clarity for Your Return
Think beyond what happens before you leave. Have a plan for what you will step into when you return. Before I go on holiday, I know what I’m focussing on as soon as I get home, so momentum carries through.
Start Small and Build the Muscle
Not ready for a three-week overseas trip? Start with a smaller break:
A long weekend
A couple of nights away
A dedicated day just for yourself
The point isn’t the size of the holiday. It’s proving to your mind and body that you are worthy of joy, rest and freedom now, not someday when you have “earned it.”
Client Example: From Burnout to Balance
One of my clients began this year in complete burnout. Together, we clarified what she truly wanted, created a plan and she decided she wanted semi retirement and a seven week holiday. That is exactly what she has achieved. And while taking that extended time off, her team stepped up and her revenue and profit both grew.
When you shift your mindset first, structure and results follow naturally.
The Takeaway
Freedom in business doesn’t begin with a planner or a content calendar. It begins with mindset, permission and the decision to quiet the chatter that tells you that you cannot step away.
Systems, schedules and strategies are important, but they are easy to implement once your mind is aligned.
Remember: if you don’t choose downtime in joy, you will eventually be forced into downtime in suffering. Choosing joy filled rest keeps you motivated, healthy and moving forward.
You can have both: a business that grows and a lifestyle that gives you joy.
✨ Want to dive deeper into this? I recorded a full conversation on this topic you can listen to on The Coaching Circle.
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