You know it is not often I go on vacations, something I want to change very, very soon, but when it comes to going on vacations many people make up excuses for reasons they cannot go. When my buddy Adam asked me to go to Hilton Head with him for a week some of those same excuses popped up in my head… “What about work?”, “Can I afford it?”, “I will get behind!”, etc etc. I knew in the back of my mind that I wanted to go on vacation and that it was almost needed at this point so I told myself I am going on this vacation.

Burn Out
No matter if you work a 9-5 or you work for yourself on your own schedule you will in time burn out. Things will get frustrating, you will seem more stressed out and you really cannot concentrate. For me there has been times where for ThinkComputers I cannot sit down and review a product, it’s like I have a big brain fart. This happens when you are doing the same thing over and over again day after day. This is why I felt I needed this vacation.

But I still need to work?
For me, my business is not automated and I myself actually create most of the content for the site so it is hard to say I’m going on vacation for a week. You can still enjoy your vacation and work at the same time. I know this is possible, because I did it! You need to properly organize your days and maybe even work a little harder a couple weeks before you leave for vacation. For my week at the beach I had a Beach Routine that I followed each day, that way I was done with my work in the morning and had the rest of the day to really enjoy myself.

Let the Adventure Begin!
When you are on vacation make sure you treat it like one! As I just mentioned you need to make a routine that eliminates most of your work so you can really enjoy your vacation. While on vacation go out and adventure! Do not spend your vacation in your hotel room on the internet or watching tv. How is it going to feel like a vacation? On my week at the beach I always was doing something, whether at the beach, exploring the island on bikes or checking out local restaurants. Doing this gives you the “adventure” feel and should really make you feel excited about what you are doing.

Allow Yourself to Relax and Reflect
One of the biggest things I made sure I did while on vacation was take time to myself to relax and reflect. Many nights I would sit out on the balcony, watch the sunset and just think about things. You would be surprised at how relaxing that is. We normally do not get to do things like that when we are at home…it just does not happen. What’s crazy is that during the vacation no matter when I went to bed I was up by 9AM and I felt great! Not only that I was able to fall asleep no problem, something I was struggling with before I went on the trip.

Was it Worth it?
How much is happiness worth? The feeling of waking up and being excited about something is something we do not experience everyday, but to have it for a week was great. But if it’s only for a week whats the point? Well obviously being back in Pittsburgh is not the best feeling, especially after being at the beach but the vacation did so much for me. First it gave me so much more motivation, again before I went on vacation I was extremely burnt out, and now I feel like a new person! Also even since being back my sleeping / tiredness problem is not as prevalent. I am able to fall asleep pretty quickly and I feel pretty good throughout the day. Overall the trip reinvigorated my drive and really gave me the time to think about my business and myself. I am getting more done now and it feels great (Just look at how I am keeping up with this blog!). You can’t put a price on any of what I just mentioned so yeah…it was definitely worth it!