Tip for Success: Take a Vacation From Your Business

If you’ve been a part of this community for a while, you might have read that headline with one eyebrow raised. After all, I tell you again and again that the key to your success is taking action consistently and persistently.

(And that is still VERY much true. Write it down somewhere you’ll see it every day. Get it tattooed backwards on your forehead so you’ll see it in the mirror. Make it your mantra!)

But I will also tell you NOT to try to work for three or four hours a day while you’re going through the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy course and beginning your learning. And I’ll heartily tell you to take a couple of days off (a.k.a. a weekend) each week.

Why? Because it’s easy to burn out, and burnout sneaks up faster than you’d believe.

Learning Something New Is Hard for Adults

When you’re learning something new and/or taking on a new venture like copywriting, it’s taxing on you mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Now, don’t get me wrong: It’s absolutely WORTH it. All of the best things in our lives, all of the things that make our lives better, generally start out being at least somewhat mentally, physically, and/or emotionally taxing. But you get through it and you reap the benefits.

But, as adults, it’s not often that we learn something genuinely new, and so it’s a little extra tiring for our brains to process and retain the information. It’s also not that often that we call on ourselves to do something new, and that’s emotionally exhausting. And, frankly, sitting down and getting our work done can be physically exhausting!

Again, consistency and persistence are key…but while working a half-hour or an hour each day on learning and building your business and then taking the weekend off is heading in the right direction, trying to cram in hours’ worth of learning and practice day after day after day is heading in the wrong one.

“Powering Through” Doesn’t Work

When you try to power through without taking a break, you don’t give your brain the valuable time to learn and assimilate the information.

Have you ever been doing a crossword puzzle, been utterly stumped on a clue, set it down to do something later, and then come back to it to have the answer “magically” come to you?

Yup, that’s how your brain works. When you’re learning or practicing your copywriting skills, or when you’re writing for clients for that matter, your brain is working hard when you’re actively engaged in that task.

But it’s also working while you’re not engaged in that task. It’s taking new things you’ve learned and creating neural pathways to make it permanent. Working through problems or challenges to come up with the solution. Generating new and creative ideas.

You need to take time off.

Taking Time Off Makes You MORE Productive

And, believe me, I say this to you as someone who is NOT great at taking time off. I know that I operate so much better as a writer, as a coach, as a business owner, and as a person, when I take a weekend away at least once every six months. (Six months has come and gone since my last getaway.)

But I know that I don’t do anyone any good when I don’t get time off. When I’m away is when I come up with new ideas for ways to support our students, new ideas for ways to grow our business, new ideas for ways to help my clients, and new ideas for ways to grow and improve as a person. Without that time away, I stagnate as a writer, a business owner, and as a person.

So, I often try, at least once a year, to take a weekend alone so that it’s just me and my thoughts.

Yes, you need to take action and make progress consistently and persistently, but you also NEED to give your brain a break. If you happen to have the opportunity to take a weekend getaway by yourself, go for it.

(For other tips on maximizing your time off, check out our blog post here >>)

Go Somewhere You’ve Never Been Before

Go somewhere you’ve never been before. If you can, go for at least two nights. On the first night, you’ll think you were stupid for taking time away from your life to do this. But by the second you’ll have decompressed and gotten into your groove. And bring snacks. (Brie, apples, and good bread are my go-tos.)

Keep the TV Off

Reading is fine, but watching TV isn’t going to rejuvenate you in the way you need. It turns out, you’re still exercising your brain when watching TV. And scrolling your phone on social media can lead to feeling worse.

Get Outside Your House

If you don’t have that luxury to get away for a couple of days, carve out even just a few hours for yourself if you can. The ideal is a few hours by yourself (again, not watching TV–it doesn’t let your mind rest in the right way) outside of your house. I have friends who make a deal with their spouse for a few hours alone and just hop in the car and drive to a nearby park to read for a few hours.

Or, even if you REALLY can’t get time by yourself at all (please try), spending time with people you enjoy can be recharging. (No TV!)

You need a break, I guarantee it. A real and true, high-quality break. Give your brain a chance to do what it does best and let it assimilate and create and ideate while you put your attention elsewhere. Both you and your career deserve it.

Learn more about how to take a vacation as a freelancer >>

Watch More: How To Take Time Off as a Copywriter

A huge perk to being a freelancer is that you can work when and where you want. But even with that freedom freelancers are notorious for not taking vacations and working right through, resulting in burnout. As a freelancer you may feel like if you aren’t working, you aren’t making money. But if you set up your calendar properly you can plan for it! In this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate share real-world advice for freelancers struggling to take time off throughout the year.

Your Turn

How are you going to give yourself a break? What will you do and when? Let us know in the comments below.

Last Updated on May 14, 2024