An entrepreneur’s job is never done.
Unfortunately, this often applies to vacation days. Twelve successful
entrepreneurs share their work habits during off hours.
Question: Work email on vacation: do you do it? When is it time to tune out?
"I
never turn off my email. I may not be answering all of the emails that
come in, but I am constantly scanning to make sure that the business
isn't on fire. I think it's difficult to turn it off completely,
especially if you are a solopreneur, even though there is great value in
doing so. It is appropriate to tune it out if you are with family or
friends though -- give them attention too!"
"For
entrepreneurs, "work-life balance" is more like "work-life blend." When
you need to recharge, you can take a break whenever it fits into your
schedule; vacation doesn't have to happen around prescribed times.
Because of the reality of intermittent breaks, it's never convenient to
entirely tune out and switch off. You might set an away message, but
it's better to stay on top than fall behind."
"I
go email-less at least one day per week, usually on the weekend. So
when it's time for a real email-free vacation, it's important to have an
away message and to give people who might have an emergency a way to
contact you, but chances are their emergencies aren't actual emergencies
and can wait till you get back to your inbox."
"I
try to only check emails at certain times of the day when I'm on
vacation. It's not very realistic for entrepreneurs to completely log
off for long periods of time, but you can limit it to first thing in the
morning and once in the afternoon. If it bothers you to not check it,
just check it quickly and get on with your vacation!"
"Whether
you like it or not, if you are a founder, you should also serve as a
customer service representative for your company. Customer service is a
24/7 job, and keeping your clients happy is a must. Email doesn't have
to take much time out of your vacation (an hour or two per day maximum).
You should never ignore it completely."
"Email
and vacation don’t belong in the same sentence. Working during your
vacation is distracting and will prevent from getting that R&R your
body needs. The best way to get the best of both worlds is to let
someone who is very trustworthy read your emails once per day. Ask them
to call you if something is extremely urgent. That will give you peace
of mind since you’ll know everything is in order."
"I
decided to live my vacation, but building my business so I am actually
on vacation all the time. Part of that is checking emails and allotting
time to make phone calls and things, but I built my business so I can
travel the world and explore fun new places while hanging out with cool
people, rather than taking a vacation and trying to get your balance in
for a week. Balance your life daily."
"When
I'm truly on vacation, I'll check email, but only for absolutely
essential emails. I only answer emails if someone bought a product and
it wasn't delivered, or if my site is down for some reason. Just
essential customer service and catastrophic tech issues. That's it.
Everything else can wait."
"It's
truly not an option to avoid checking your email if you are a startup
company founder. It's your job to serve your customers and fellow team
members whenever needed, even if you're lounging with a cocktail on the
beach. The key is utilize parameters and have enough discipline to not
be constantly checking your email throughout the day as you would at the
office. Once or twice a day is okay."
"Of
course I check work email on vacation -- damn near impossible to fully
disconnect! But I'm working on getting better at compartmentalizing work
time while on vacation by dedicating up to an hour in the mornings to
read and respond to the critical things. Then I shut off for the rest of
the day and get something out of the vacation."
"Answering
email on vacation is one of the sacrifices entrepreneurs have to make.
After all, no one is responsible for making sure the company doesn't
implode but you. Hopefully, after a few years of blood, sweat and tears,
you can take a breather. But as a founder you will most likely always
be heavily involved in your business operations."
"When
I'm lucky enough to escape for a few days, I usually set aside an hour
in the morning that I designate to answering emails, connecting with
clients and employees, and taking care of anything else that arises.
Once that hour is over, the phone is off, the laptop is closed and the
only thing on my iPad is Pandora for the rest of the day!"
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03:46
Executive Republic
Posted in Enterpreneurship
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