Everyone loves a bank holiday! An extra day off, before or after the weekend where we can spend it with our loved ones, take a trip or do something exciting. Perhaps get on with the D.I.Y that we’ve not found the time to finish or put our feet up and relax with a book. Whatever we decide to do, we usually make sure that we spend it doing something worthwhile and making the most of being away from the office.
However, does this fall true to those of us who run our own business? Do we still get the bank holiday excitement that we had when we worked the 9 ‘til 5 for an employer?
For many people that are self employed, a bank holiday can be a well deserved rest from all of the hard work we entail to make sure our ventures are a success; however, there are many people who simply need that extra time to catch up or simply can’t afford to take the day off. After all there’s no luxury of paid public holidays when you work for yourself! For some, a bank holiday is a fantastic bonus, for others it can leave them feeling a little ‘blue’ if it’s spent working.
Here are our 3 Tips to Turn Your Bank Holiday Blues into a Bonus
Advise your clients
Whether you plan to be in the office or not, let your client’s know that you will not be available during the bank holiday. There’s nothing to stop you from continuing with your work if you choose to do so, however, making sure your clients know your intentions is a must. Communication is key and giving yourself that bit of space, even if it’s just from emails or telephone calls should you need to work, will enable you to be more productive. It also means that should you finish what you need to do, you can ‘close the office’ and enjoy your bonus day.
Plan ahead
Do you have a specific schedule? Are there particular tasks that will need to be performed on the day that the bank holiday falls upon? If so, try and plan this into your week prior to the bank holiday. Can it be something that is done in advance and scheduled? Are you able to prioritise your workload so that all deadlines can be achieved and anything of a lower priority rescheduled for the following week? If you take time to ‘plan clever’ then you’ll be setting yourself up to have a great bonus day and not worrying about tasks falling overdue.
Hire some help
After you’ve taken the time to plan ahead, consider whether you may need some help. Would you benefit from a second pair of hands to enable you to achieve your deadlines so that you can reward yourself with a bonus day away from work? Have you thought about hiring a Virtual Assistant to help you tick off those tasks and take off some pressure? This is a great way to lighten the load and utilising a VA is one of the best resources you can call upon. We here at Virtual Hand are here to ‘lend a hand’ or be your ‘second pair of hands’, whatever you need we will help you get that bonus day in the diary.
Remember as busy entrepreneurs and SME’s we deserve to take some time out for ourselves. It’s time to spend it with our families and make the most of a work-life balance. Don’t let yourself get blue and miss your chance for a bonus!
Employing staff is a whole new ball game with its own set of rules. Working with a VA is an option that a great many business people are turning to. Check out my book on How to Hire a Virtual Assistant. Available on Amazon by clicking here.
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