In this week’s episode we discuss how to take a vacation when you’re a self-employed creative. It can be really stressful to feel like you’re abandoning your creative business, clients and customers whenever you want to take some time off, but this is obviously not the healthiest mind set. Today we discuss how all four of us have worked to combat this, and talk about some effective steps you can take to have a guilt free vacation this year.

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/honestdesigners/HD_53.mp3?dest-id=468740″ social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” title=”Episode 53: Taking a Vacation as a Creative”]

Watch more of the Honest Designers episodes here: Honest Designers Podcast Playlist   And remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for regular updates direct to your inbox.


Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] This week’s episode we talk about how to take some time off as a creative
[1:40] This is much easier said than done when you’re a freelance designer
[2:00] Lisa hasn’t had a holiday in about 3 years
[2:40] Even while on holiday in Greece she still replied to emails
[3:20] She feels bad ignoring an email from someone that has issues with one of the products not working
[3:40] Before he got the DC team, Tom did not have a proper holiday for 10 years
[4:30] The level of stress depends highly on the type of work you do
[5:20] Websites need to work 24/7 and you can’t ignore them when they crash
[6:20] If a client’s website goes down they will call you no matter the time or day
[7:30] Lisa weighs the benefits of working as a freelance or having a 9 to 5 job in which you are chained to a store
[8:00] Dustin’s analogy: “this is like in the movies, when you’re being handcuffed to a suitcase”
[8:30] Tom thinks the constraints and pressure are self-imposed
[9:00] A solution would be to hire a team and relieve some of the pressure
[9:30] You need to force yourself and take a day off
[10:10] Dustin’s example of the business owner who left his wife in labor to go close a deal
[11:30] Make sure you to tell your clients in advance you’re planning a holiday
[12:10] You can also get yourself ahead with work if you know you’re planning to take time off
[12:40] Keep in mind the seasonal events your client might have planned already
[14:10] Dustin appreciates receiving an automated informing him when he should expect hearing back from support
[15:00] As a freelancer Lisa used to give her clients cut off dates for when she would accept the last bit of work before she went away on holiday.
[16:00] Tom suggest creating an article on this topic
[16:30] Book your holiday around your clients if possible and avoid clashing with their pre-booked events
[17:30] Being organized and planning in advance will also gain you a lot of respect from your clients
[18:15] Also make sure you stick to your rules once you’ve set them
[19:30] Under promise and over deliver – this will give your clients a good feeling
[20:00] The hosts compliment Dustin on his love for books and reading
[21:30] And tease Lisa about her ‘piles of money’
[23:00] Some activities need more support than others
[23:45] If what you do requires support for your clients, think about using some support services while you are away
[24:00] Find someone that offers the same services as you and reciprocate favour next time they’re away
[24:20] Use an out of office for your email and offer an alternative email for any urgent queries
[25:50] Tom’s work was always in the back of his mind and felt like he’s left the oven on when going on holiday
[26:40] Dustin says that having someone else to take care of business while he’s away has relieved a lot of pressure for him
[27:40] You should expect that you will not push your business forward while on vacation
[28:00] Most of your creative ideas will come to you when you’re relaxed
[28:50] There’s less things that will go wrong than what you think will go wrong
[29:10] Dustin found that sometimes the business does better when he’s away
[30:00] Ian suggests Lisa should put a message on her website to let the customers know support will be delayed
[31:00] Lisa went hiking with no reception for a week and she expected the worse, but nothing happened
[31:40] The reality is somewhere between the worst and the best possible outcome you imagine
[32:15] Time and experience will help you get into a habit
[33:15] In the early days of Design Cuts, Tom used to stress about even the smallest thing happening
[34:00] Your business will not ‘burn down’ if you go on holiday
[34:40] Tom’s example of PayPal not accepting payments after bundle launch
[35:00] Not taking a vacation is almost like not sleeping
[35:20] Tom’s suggestion of creating an article with out of office email examples
[36:00] Thanks so much for listening to this week’s episode


“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!”AG_GD