7 Tips for Managing Time Off as a Working Writer or Editor

With the holidays fast approaching,
you’re probably thinking about taking some time off of your writing business.

But the second you think about it, your heartbeat quickens. There’s all that work you have to do beforehand. Deadlines you have to meet. Clients you have to take care of. Projects you have to organize.

The more you think about, the more you may wonder if this vacation thing is worth it at all.

Take a breath. Studies show that vacations are good for you, providing the following benefits:

They make you more productive
They increase your overall health and well being
They help you return to work feeling more engaged
They reduce stress
They spark creativity
They help you see the big picture where your business is concerned

So make sure you get away this holiday season. Try the following tips to make it easier to manage your time off.

7 Ways to Better Manage Time Off as a Working Writer/Editor

1. Plan Ahead of Time

The more carefully you plan your vacation, the more likely you will be to follow through on it. Calendar in the days you will be gone, and then work backwards. What has to be done when to make your vacation work? Plot out the weeks leading up to your departure, and if necessary, even the weeks following your return.

I’m always working at least a month ahead on all my projects in preparation for my next travel period. Sometimes my travels are for business (speaking engagements, conferences), and other times they’re for vacation.

Getting in the mindset of regularly planning and preparing for time away makes it just part of your regular schedule, rather than an anomaly—and you and your business will be healthier for it.

2. Think About Your Cash Flow

You may have a regular day job, but if you don’t, you know how it goes—when you’re not working, you’re not making money. There’s no paid vacation if you’re a freelancer, which means you need to check the books and plan accordingly.

I’ll admit to getting through a few vacations early in my career with a credit card and a prayer, and in my opinion, as long as you’re careful with your money most of the time, it’s better to get away however you can then it is not to get away at all.

Of course, it feels a lot better to know you can handle your time away without going into debt. It’s best if you have a “vacation” fund into which you’re regularly contributing.

Also, make sure you figure in the month after your vacation. Typically this is the time when we feel the pinch the most, but we often forget to consider it before we leave. All that income you weren’t generating when you were gone is likely to catch up with you when you get back.

You can manage this with savings, or by working a little harder before you go.

3. Work Harder Before You Go

Surveys show that the preparation required before vacation is one of the reasons people don’t get away more often. I know it’s one of the reasons I have dreaded taking time off in the past, but after 20 years as a freelancer, I know two things are true:

1) Time off is worth it, regardless
2) The more you get used to the workload ahead of the time, the easier it gets

Working a little harder in the weeks leading up to your departure allows you to stack your earnings a bit so you’re not facing such a dip upon your return. You can always log in and send the finished projects while you’re away if you like, which will take you only about 5 minutes while keeping your clients satisfied.

I do the same with my personal projects—write and post blogs ahead of time, for example. Whatever projects you have, if you plan weeks ahead of time to get them all done before you go, you’ll be able to enjoy your time off and hopefully have the cash you need as well.

Better yet, the more you do before you go, the less of a load you’ll have when you get back. There’s nothing like 20 looming deadlines to steal the glow of vacation much too quickly.

If you find yourself struggling to keep up with the extra work, keep visualizing the fun you’ll have while on vacation. Studies show that the anticipation of time off can be just as beneficial health-wise (sometimes more) than the actual time away.

4. Find Ways to Make Your Trip a Business Trip

I’m a staunch believer in avoiding work while you’re on vacation (or it’s not really a vacation), but the beauty of being a writer is that you can often find something to write about on your trip, which allows you to write off at least part of it on your taxes.

Maybe there’s a special location you can feature in a travel magazine, a personal interest piece that could be published in an online magazine, or something you can do while you’re away that qualifies as research for your novel. As long as you keep careful records (brochures, pictures, receipts, notes from the experience), it’s legit, and it can help you rest a little easier about the expense.

5. Stretch Your Vacation Dollar

As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve discovered that I travel more frequently than I used to, which is awesome (in my opinion!). One of the ways I swing it is to be careful about expenditures and to find ways to stretch a dollar wherever possible.

If you’re spending the holidays with family, you may be fortunate enough to have a place to stay without having to pay for a hotel, for example. If you are taking your family away, on the other hand, consider when and where you’re going.

Traveling during the off-season to any locale always results in cheaper prices, and traveling closer to your state (rather than across country) is also a more economical way to go.

Grocery shopping when you arrive so you can eat in for most of your meals saves you quite a bit over eating out. Choosing activities like hiking, visiting museums, exploring area attractions, and just sitting back and relaxing is also less expensive than paying for uber-entertainment packages.

6. Let Your Clients Know You’ll Be Gone Ahead of Time

Many writers worry about being “unavailable” to their editors, publishers, or clients, so they dread telling them about their travel plans. I’ve found in most cases, it works just the opposite. If you’re out and about doing things, you look more active in your profession rather than less, which increases your value to others.

The most important benefit of alerting clients to your plans is to keep you from getting caught up in “emergency” projects while you’re away. Every freelancer or authorpreneur has received a “can you please…” request while on vacation.

Be strong enough to resist. Let your people know you’ll be gone, then go and stick to your guns. I’ve never once lost a client by doing this. On the contrary, I tend to keep the same clients for years—thanks in part to getting away often enough to maintain my creative brain.

7. Disconnect and Discover Something New

Too many entrepreneurs stay attached to their work even while they’re away. This is a horrible idea, as it robs you of all the benefits a vacation has to give.

If you’re away from work but still working, that’s not a true vacation. We’re all guilty of checking in now and then, but you owe it to yourself to let the social media slide for a few days (no one will notice), and to skip the email madness for a while.

Perhaps even more important is to expose yourself to something new. Creative people need novelty to stimulate the imagination. Go see a different type of show, explore a new park or museum, try a different activity, or meet up with some people you haven’t seen in years.

Give yourself the gift of time off this year. Your business, clients, and readers will thank you for it!

How do you manage time off as a freelancer or authorpreneur?