Are You Planning Time Off for Christmas?
We always assume that Christmas is a holiday, but if you run your own business, it can be very easy to just work right up to midnight on the 24th. I always end up thinking that my clients won’t be giving me any work in December, worry about a lack of money and then say yes when someone sends me assignments and end up working through the holidays. Not this year.
You see, you need to PLAN your time off. There’s nothing wrong with telling your clients that you won’t be available for a week or two or three. If they’re happy with your work, there probably is no reason for them to go elsewhere.
So, how long should you plan for and what do you do about the inevitable non-earning?
Setting a Holiday Length
There are two main factors to consider here. One, how long you need in order to enjoy the time with your family and get some mental relaxation. This could be just a week or it might be the entire month of December. Two, how long can your clients be without you? If you are a VA, for example, you might be a bit limited in how much time you can take off without causing problems for your clients. Still a week should not be an issue at all.
This year, I’m starting small. I plan to take a week and a half over Christmas. My husband is a musician, so he will be out doing gigs during December and here in Guatemala, the month is full of excitement, firecrackers and processions, so I plan to take some time to get out and enjoy those with my kids.
What About the Money?
Taking a holiday is all fine and good, but there are still bills to pay and most people end up with a lot of expenses over Christmas and the new year. That doesn’t have to be a big issue though.
First of all, you can save up ahead of time. Set aside a holiday fund and put a little into it each month. While it may be bit late this year, you should still be able to put a bit aside. This works for gifts, too. Pick up things you see that would make good stocking stuffers or gifts, thoughout the year and you won’t have a big glob of expenses in December.
Keeping the holidays simple is another way to make sure you have money leftover. In my family, we love to string popcorn to hang on the Christmas tree, a tradition from when I was a child, and we make most of our own ornaments. It’s a great way to hang out and have fun with your kids and costs next to nothing! Try making a big batch of truffles or fudge and give that away as gifts instead of spending a lot of money on presents for people outside your family.
Finally, look at how you can earn a bit more in the time that you are working. Over at Internet Marketing Sweetie, they have a great challenge going on to create an info product that will sell during December to earn extra cash. You can also try something like building Squidoo lenses that offer Christmas gift ideas to earn some extra cash. Just be aware that Squidoo brings money in three months after the month you earned it, so this would be a bit longer term.
Are you taking a planned holiday this year? Leaving it up to chance? What do you do to ensure that you have money to take the time off?
Its always good to get prepared for the holidays early, unless you don’t celebrate the holidays.
The residual income generated by my type of at-home work means the money continues to come in over the holidays…definitely a benefit,
But even so, I find that I also have to plan for holiday time off; otherwise, I just keep doing the regular stuff!
Anne, it’s SO easy to get carried away with work because it’s always there. So I definitely recommend making a plan to stay away.
For many people dealing with consumers, holidays mean more business so its perfectly acceptable to make sure you’re around at those times. For those of us who deal business to business, holidays and bank holidays are often a great time to take off to the country. But when are your quieter times? Or when would be a good time to get cover?
Don’t just dream of a white Christmas, set up a “travel account” and save for it. The holidays can be expensive even when you’re staying home. A Christmas vacation brings all the usual travel expenses. In the beginning stages of planning your trip, you and your companions will have established a budget, but the money for that budget may need to be accrued over time. If possible, set up a formal or informal savings account for your travel expenses.
For many people dealing with consumers, holidays mean more business so its perfectly acceptable to make sure you’re around at those times. For those of us who deal business to business, holidays and bank holidays are often a great time to take off to the country. But when are your quieter times? Or when would be a good time to get cover?
While I agree that many people who are dealing with product sales and the like would need to work up to Christmas, I would still suggest taking some time for the holidays to just enjoy being with your family. This doesn’t have to be before Christmas, if you have Christmas rush, but perhaps a few days afterwards would be good. The idea is to enjoy the holiday season instead of stressing all through it.
Today the world is full of competition howmuch ever the client may be with us the other one is ready to make more happier than us and grab the client , so it is better to plan a day or two for the christmas and to spend your valuable time
and be happy