How to Plan & Enjoy A Holiday When You Have No Time

If you’re self-employed, chances are you’re overworked. No wonder it’s so hard to keep on top of your accounts, BAS and tax returns. What tradies, contractors and small business owners tend to forget is that they need to take care of their health and wellbeing as much as they need to take care of their business. This article shows you how to plan a holiday when you have no time.

Set Aside The Time
Just as you set aside the time to make appointments with clients, set aside some time for planning your holiday. Whether you want to go on a trip, or simply take a couple of weeks off to hang out at home, you need to block out a few regular hours on your calendar as ‘holiday planning time’. As long as you keep saying to yourself, “I’ll plan my trip later when I have some free time”, you’ll probably never find the time.

Divvy Up The Jobs
If you’re travelling with your partner, family members or a friend, divide up the planning jobs so everyone knows their role and everything gets done in time. Assign one person to booking the accommodation, the other to packing the fishing rods, and someone else to researching things to do. By dividing up the planning roles, you’ll plan your holiday more efficiently.

Triage Your Tasks
Sometimes when there’s too much to do, nothing gets done. If you’re planning by yourself or have a number of items to organise, you’ll need to create a list. Whether using a list-making app or doing it the old fashioned way with notebook and pen, make a list and then number your tasks in order of importance.

Set Aside The Dosh… The Right Way
Saving for your trip doesn’t mean taking a cut from your business profits. If your business and personal finances are mixed together, you could find yourself in serious trouble. What you should be doing is paying yourself a set salary out of your business income regardless of variations on how much you earn. To find out how, read more on The Importance of Separating Business and Personal Finances.

Put Your Worries Behind You
Okay so you’re finally on holidays. The final step is getting work off your mind. There are a number of techniques you can use to stop those pesky thoughts about everything waiting for you back home. You could take ten minutes per day to think about work, and only ten minutes, so that whenever anything comes to mind you leave it for “thinking-about-work- time”. You could take a bath, do breathing exercises or read a book. All of these things have been shown to slow down the mind and bring relaxation.

Want more time for holidays and doing the things you love? Get your accounts, BAS and tax returns taken care of with Just Done, and you’ll have more free time for yourself.