Some people, I am not one, find it very difficult to take time off from work.

My clients in sales, who rely on commissions, are particularly reluctant to go away. They worry about money, about missing deals, about losing momentum, and about not being there for their clients. They feel major guilt.

Guilt: A fairly useless emotion which can lead to bad decisions and an inability to enjoy life. Or vacations.

As I told one of them this morning……..in no uncertain terms (big surprise)…… No, you should not bring your laptop to the beach. No you should not be making calls or setting appointments while away. He asked, “Can I say on my voice mail that I’ll be checking messages while out of the office?” NO!

No, No, No. Just get away. You are not that important. People will deal with it.

Leave this info on your voice mail; Specific to your clients and industry of course.

•  I will be unavailable for the week and NOT checking messages.
• If you need immediate assistance, please hit zero.
• Remember, if you need information or want to make simple changes, you can access your account through my web site.
• I will be back in the office on (provide date) and will return your call then.

Make sure to set some appointments for the week you return. Having potential business to look forward to will help you relax while you’re away and having meetings on your calendar for the week you return will help you shift back into work mode. 

Don’t forget to put up an auto responder message for email. One client neglected to do this last year and ended up working on his vacation because of it! Cover your bases so you can relax. Don’t bring your phone everywhere with you on vacation. And if you have a Blackberry or iPhone, resist the urge to read every correspondence.

RELAX. DISENGAGE. LET PEOPLE MISS YOU.

You are that important; To yourself.

Plan some time to be unavailable. Just not when I need you, k?

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