Taking time off is hard when you’re self-employed.
I’m currently easing my way back into work after taking five weeks of maternity leave (and in the process discovering why most people recommend taking a full twelve weeks!). And figuring out how to make those five weeks work took a lot of planning.
Like many people who are self-employed, my business structure doesn’t currently provide me any passive income.
That means if I’m not working, I don’t have money coming in. You too?
It makes taking time off — especially time off that comes with additional expenses! — a real challenge. But it is doable!
If you need to take a leave from your business without a passive income, I’ve got eight steps that will help you make it work.
1. Figure out how much income you need per month
Knowing how much money you need is the first, and most crucial, part of being able to take leave.
I had been setting money aside in a “leave fund” ever since I found out I was pregnant, but that was for hospital and baby expenses. I also wanted a base income that met our recurring expenses (rent, utilities, insurance, groceries) while I was not working.
I decided that this was going to be equal to 115% of my average monthly income. That meant I needed to book work equal to that amount BEFORE I went on leave.
Depending on your reasons for taking time off — to have a baby, care for a family member, go on vacation — you may need more or less income during your leave. You may be taking off longer than I did. You may have extra expenses beyond your recurring ones. You may not have savings set aside and need a higher level of income to make up for it.
Regardless of your individual circumstances, the first step is to figure out how much income you need for the time you are away.
2. Schedule work for your entire leave
Once you know how much income you need, you have to book an amount of work equal to that income.
For me, that meant booking the same amount of work that I normally would have done during the course of the five weeks I planned to take off. My workload, in other words, essentially stayed the same for the entire duration of my maternity leave.
Here’s the catch: I completed it ahead of time so that earned that income before my leave began.
Schedule the same amount work you would do for regular clients; if that’s not going to be equal to the amount you need, you’ll have to look for additional work. Email past clients, pitch a new project, check in with your network to see if anyone has any leads.
No matter how you find your work, think as if you are booking yourself through the months you are going to take off.
Then plan to get it done ahead of schedule so that you aren’t working during your leave.
3. Be honest with your clients
Don’t just book the work and leave your clients in the dark. Let them know what’s going on.
Be honest: tell them you are available for the full project, but you will need to get it done on a faster timeline because you’re taking leave for __ reason. Let them know what (if anything) you need from them to complete things on time.
You may feel a little nervous telling clients that you’re taking time off. But think about it: you’re doing the same amount of work at the same price; they’re just getting it a little faster than they otherwise would. They aren’t likely to complain!
4. Create a schedule and stick to it
Once you have your work booked, you need to get it done.
This was the most challenging part for me. I needed to get about three times as much done per week as I normally do in the month leading up to my maternity leave.
That meant working much smarter, using my time more efficiently, and putting in longer hours nearly every day. And I wouldn’t have been able to get it all done without a schedule.
Plan out what you need to get done, when you’re going to do it, what gets submitted first and when… everything.
Schedule your extra work even more rigorously than you normally do.
Otherwise, you risk something falling through the cracks and a client frantically trying to get in touch with you when you’ve turned off your phone and are focusing on your time off.
Don’t try to wing it and hope everything gets done on time. Schedule yourself, and stick to it.
5. Remember your own business
Client work isn’t the only thing that needs to get done.
Your own business also needs to keep running while you’re gone.
This isn’t the same as passive income — your business likely won’t be making you money. But if you have a blog, you want to keep it going and maintaining readers. If you have social media, you want it to keep sharing and attracting followers.
Schedule posts and updates for the duration of your leave.
That way, your accounts are still working, even when you’re taking time off.
6. Ask for help
Of course, trying to write and schedule several weeks’ worth of blog posts for your own website on top of several weeks’ worth of client work is, frankly, a little overwhelming.
That’s why you have to ask for help.
I received help in the form of four fantastic blog posts written by guest posters, all of which contributed enormous value to my blog and spoke to my readers. Some of these posts were pitched to me, some of them I approached the writers directly and asked them if they wanted to write something.
When you’ve got a big life event coming up, your first instinct may be to try doing everything yourself.
You don’t have to. Reach out to your community. Ask for help.
7. Create an out of office message that continues working when you’re not
The last thing you want during your leave is to feel like you have to check your email every day.
But if you put up a generic “out of office” message that only tells people you’re not checking your email, you may risk losing a great prospect or a potential client while you’re otherwise occupied.
The solution isn’t to check your email anyway (that doesn’t really fit with “time off”).
It’s to create an out of office message that actually works for you.
Here was mine while I was gone:
Thanks for taking the time to get in touch!
I am currently on maternity leave and will only be checking my email occasionally. My response will be a little delayed; I appreciate your patience!
In the meantime, some of this might be helpful…
+ I have a question about blogging/email marketing/my website/social media/freelancing/being a small business online.
I’d love to help! You can book a Real Advice Session here for a future date. We’ll talk through the answers to your questions and come up with a plan together.
+ Can you give me advice on starting/running/marketing a small business?
Absolutely! Check out the many articles I have shared on my blog. While I am away, I’m featuring guest posts by several amazing bloggers and small business owners!
+ I have a question about your fiction and essay writing.
That’s the best! You can learn more here, and you’ll receive a personalized response from me once the baby goes down for a nap.
+ Will you guest blog for me/my website?
Probably! Please send me a few details about your audience and what sort of posts you’re looking for so that I can make sure my expertise is a good fit.
+ I need a content writer for my business website/email marketing/blog.
I feel ya! Content is important. I’ll be booking new work again starting in November. In the meantime, please feel free to send along some details about what you’re looking for. You can also book a No Hassle Blogging package, but please note that I will not be available until November.
+ What’s the best kind of tea?
My current favorites are milky chai and an awesome chamomile-mint combo that I received as a gift.
+ A baby?! Can I see pictures?
There’s a chance a few baby toes might make it onto my Instagram feed. Or I might be too tired to post anything other than the many cups of tea I am mainlining. No guarantees.
+ I’m your mother/best friend/uncle.
Nice to hear from you, but you should probably know better than to email me right now!
Take care,
Katharine
8. Leave some wiggle room
You want your leave to go smoothly and as planned, but unexpected things happen.
You may need to take off more time than you planned.
You may decide that you want more time off than you planned.
You may have a client who is late with a payment, a guest poster who vanishes on you, an amazing opportunity come up that you just can’t bear to miss.
When you plan your leave don’t assume a 100% best case scenario.
Write an extra blog post. Schedule a buffer week of social media posts. Book an extra job to pad your income.
If everything goes smoothly, great!
But if you end up needing a little wiggle room, you’ll be glad you planned for it.
*****
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