I recently posted a list of my Pro’s and Con’s For Working From Home and running my own business — and while that list will look a little different for every work-from-home person; the general ideas seemed to resonate with many of my readers {just read the comment section!}
Based on my past experiences, it’s quite difficult to take any amount of time off from my business {especially since I’m a one-woman operation} but it’s also 100% worth it every time I do. Even taking a few days off to relax, spend time with family and friends, and do something out of my “normal routine” seems to give me a fresh perspective and even more energy to get back to work when I return home.
So as we enter another very busy holiday season — and as I enter a period of maternity leave — I’ve been thinking long and hard about what steps I’ll need to take in order to continue generating a decent income, keep my business running, and prevent possible issues {all while being as “hands-off” as possible}.
Head on over to the Turnstone blog to read my suggestions for successfully taking time off while still running a business.
Julie says
Since I’m a travel blogger by night, even when I take a vacation I can feel like I’m on the job. I just decided a few days ago to take a road trip to Atlanta and didn’t have enough pre-written posts to cover my trip time so that’s what I’m doing this week.
I still find ways to escape that need to mentally write posts when I’m supposed to be relaxing by scheduling. When I went to Mexico I had a rule that one day I would take photos at the beach so every other day I could step away from the camera. The big rule of the trip was to never choose my camera over doing something and it helped me keep some balance. Setting limits before switching things up is the best way for me not to get sidetracked but still have enough material to blog about once I get back home.
Mae @ WoFin Blog says
Andrea,
One tip I would recommend would be to write several posts (whatever they are that interest you recipes, gift wrapping, holiday decorations, $ saving tips etc.) at once. Maybe dedicate a day or two before the baby comes to exclusively writing posts then log into your admin section and “schedule ” these posts. For instance the other day I wrote about 6 posts and then I scheduled them to post on my blog over the next several days. So, this may help you when taking time off to feel your readers are still connected and yet you don’t actually have to blog in “real time” . So you decide to share a recipe no reader will care if you type it and then schedule its debut on the blog for 2 weeks out. Also, since there are still regular posts going up at a per-determined day/time readers will not drop off and your blog traffic will stay higher.
A second tip, have a guest blogger (not someone who charges you money, but rather someone who is looking to promote their own blog) and let them make 1 post a week.
This will help take some of the pressure off you, their posts must be related to something that would be of interest to and aligned to SOL’s blog.
I hope these work for you as you are near having the baby and the holiday season try to not stress too much.
Andrea says
Oh Mae — I’m WAY ahead of you 🙂
I’ve had 15 guest bloggers lined up since the end of September and all their posts are ready and waiting for me to hit “publish” once I have the baby. I also have a month’s worth of posts written and just waiting for days when I don’t have time or am too tired.
I’ve been blogging for a while and have a pretty good system down. I actually schedule ALL my posts several days/weeks in advance — I don’t like waiting for the last minute to do anything 🙂
Rebecca says
My husband and I went on a cruise together last week. It was so good for me. I came back refreshed and ready to face my day job as well as with LOTS and LOTS of blog content, mostly related to the cruise, but that’s okay!