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June 4, 2004

Leaving It All Behind

Posted by at 3:54 PM

Can you get away from it all? Well, according to a new survey by American Express OPEN Small Business Network, a lot of small business owners would like to think so. I say bon voyage and good luck.

The speed of information and the need to stay in the know makes getting away almost impossible. It's become obligatory to check your email every 8 seconds. Do you realize I checked three different accounts twice each while writing these first two paragraphs? Make that three times each. That doesn't even mention the fact that cellphones, Blackberrys, Wi-Fi, etc. let the office follow you around everywhere.

But what makes it so hard to just let go? Is it a lack of trust in employees to do the job? It's certainly in the entrepreneurial spirit to simply do things yourself.

Vacation time is precious, so why do we ruin it with worry? We've all dreamed of the five weeks of mandatory paid vacation required in many European countries. But, honestly, could you manage that much time away from work?

Fact is, it's essential to take off. Otherwise, productivity suffers. Health suffers. Your employees suffer. But what's the best way to manage the office when you're away and, at the same time, actually get away?

1 Comment

Posted by: Martin Grohman at June 7, 2004 2:14 PM: I agree. I check my email way too much and it plays hell with my productivity. And I can't leave it on vacation, I've never gone more than a day since I started the business (5 yrs).

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