I’m SO grateful that my job gives me the flexibility to work from paradise when I feel like it. While I am ALL about taking a full-on vacation where the laptop isn’t even packed, sometimes I want to combine both for a little work-cation. That way, I am able to travel more often and when I want to, while still getting work done!

And I’ve learned a few super important lessons from my mini work/vacay combos that I want to share with you!

ONE: Schedule your work time! I get a lot more done when I schedule my work time. Every day I make it a priority for me to get about two hours of solid work time in. (Depending on the balance of work versus vacation on each trip – that number can vary!) When I know that is all the time I have for work that day, I find I stay much more focused and knock out the highest priority things first. Which is *exactly* what I should be doing every day, even when I’m home in my normal routine.

TWO: Change up your scenery! For example, I LOVE working outside. Working outside FILLS. ME. UP. Use your new environment to experiment with different working locations, to see what works for you. It would be a coffee shop, a park bench, or right on the beach!

THREE: Have fun!! The more fun I have, the more I loosen my grip on my business, and the more my business flourishes. And what better place and time to lean into FUN than on vacation! So even though you’re still getting work done, make sure to plan for plenty of FUN too, and when you’re out there doing those fun things, leave the work fully behind in your hotel room.

This is one of those things I’ve known for a long time, but then the small-business-owner-anxiety takes over and I find myself with a death grip on everything, overworked and anxious, having zero fun. I’m working on reprogramming that default setting in myself with the mantra from Manifestation Babe – “The more fun I have, the more money I make.” I actually had a dream about that mantra the other day, so maybe it’s starting to sink in?

So next time you want to travel but you can’t fully take time off work – just do both! Combine work + play, and you may even find that you get MORE done when you let yourself relax a little bit.