Shop owners are notorious for working long hours and taking no time off. There’s a combination of steps you can take that will allow you to relax, work fewer hours, and establish the quality of life you dreamt of when first starting your shop, not all of which I can cover in this short Christmas article. Nevertheless, here are five things I want you to consider next year when the holidays come around, or at any other time you want to take a vacation, to make sure that you can actually relax and de-stress with your time off.

Catch-up days

Plan your vacation in advance. If you are going to take time off and close the shop for a few days, you and your team will need some breathing room to make sure all the projects are done before you head home. Block off a few days (depending on the size of your shop) to make sure that you’re able to wrap up and deliver all the jobs due before your break.

Contact your in-progress customers

Parts delayed? Job extending over the break? Update your customers with the status of their car and your time off. Whether they’re expecting their car or not, they’ll appreciate you checking in. Better yet, you will be thankful you did it. By updating your customers, you’re offloading the burden of the job to after your time off. You don’t have to think about it while you’re on vacation.

Plan your return

Another way to push your stress to after your time off is to plan your return. You should know exactly what will be in the shop when you and your team come back from the break. Think about what parts you’re waiting on and what jobs you can handle right when you get back. Write down your to-do list for the day you get back.

End on a celebration with your team

Assuming your whole team is taking time off, now is time to celebrate the end of a period of hard work. Go out for dinner, get them gifts, throw a party, go for a cruise or a race (whatever you’re comfortable with in the year of COVID). Reward your team and bring some closure to the year.

TAKE the time off

Don’t use time off as an excuse to catch up on other work. Detach from the shop. Spend time with family and friends, relax, sleep more.

We cannot operate at 110% forever. It’s important to include breaks in your work so that you can continue to perform at your best. Your cars, your customers, and your shop will appreciate it.

In conclusion

Time off should really be time off. Kick your feet up and relax. Your shop isn’t going anywhere – you have more to build.

Driven Performance Advisors

Driven Performance Advisors helps shop owners increase efficiency and improve profitability through our ShOptimizer services. Our ShOptimizer Process package includes designing processes for taking time off, so that you, your shop, and your customers are all satisfied. Schedule a consultation at drivenperformanceadvisors.com.