In Clockwork, I explain the necessity of taking a four week vacation — completely unplugged from the business so that you can see if the business will survive without you.   

Have you taken a four week vacation yet?

I know, at first, it sounds impossible. 

I’m here to tell you it’s not. It’s been almost two years since Clockwork came out and many of you have let me know you’ve taken your 4 week vacation. You’ve told me how it has revitalized you, as well as your business. Not only have thousands of small business owners implemented this practice, but we’re all walking the walk in our office as well. 

As I write this, Kelsey, our president, just returned from her four week vacation, Jenna just left for her’s, and Amy is packing up her family. The rest of the team members have their four week vacations mapped out for the rest of the year. 

The absence of team members, and you, is the ultimate litmus test for your business.   

You may think now is not the time – which is precisely why it IS the time. If you feel like there’s no way you can manage a vacation, even a staycation, then you should get your company prepared for one starting now. Here are a few easy steps our office as taken:

Create your systems – Amy has been working relentlessly to create systems documents and platforms so each team member can add their projects in one location accessible to everyone in the company. Each employee has recorded loom videos with instructions on how to complete each task.

How to: Here’s what Amy did:

She created a systems document template with employee name, project, purpose, contacts, website, and links to sites, recorded training, and screenshots.

Then, employees complete the forms and send them to Amy. By then, they should have created their loom videos, necessary folder locations, and screenshots, and added those links and files to the template.

Platforms: Then, Amy uploads and organizes the systems on Monday and Helpscout. So if, say, Amy was out, and someone needed to speak to her about a book derivative, an employee could access her process and fill in for her without any issues. 

If you need some guidance on platforms, we use Google Drive, Loom, Helpscout, Tango, and Monday to manage our systems and projects. 

Our company is now set up so that if someone happens to be out unexpectedly, things will run without a hitch and our efficiency and profit won’t suffer. 

Though, we tend to miss each other when the band isn’t together. We’re friends like that.

Remember, efficiency isn’t about working around the clock. It’s about working smarter, not harder. And, it’s about creating a business that can live without you. If you’re “in” your business every moment, you will never have the opportunity to see what inefficiencies and linchpins exist. Stepping away will amplify those and give you an opportunity to make improvements.

Now – go enjoy your summer.

You’ve got this!

Mike