I’m back from our family Disney Vacation and there’s a lot to be happy about.

My kids were troopers — Casabona vacations are not very relaxing. Out of the hotel early, back late. Long, hot days.

They handled it well and had a lot of fun. We made some great memories.

And I’m happy to report that I was fully present for all of it.

This may seem like a silly statement. “Of course you were present…you were part of the vacation.”

But before the trip, I wrote about everything I did to prepare for not working at all while down in Florida.

It totally worked.

Here’s How I Did

1. Didn’t bring my laptop.
2. Didn’t open my iPad.
3. Only checked my email outside the parks, usually while the kids were sleeping.
4. I didn’t write a single email.
5. Didn’t use social media at all while I was there.
6. The kids did not use screens in the parks.
7. Never checked Slack, Google Chat, or anything else that had work-related stuff.

And you know what? The world didn’t crumble. My clients didn’t leave. No one even used the emergency email I set up.

It’s About Intentionality

It’s because I was prepared, and I put a system in place.

• I cleared the deck of work before I left. That’s because I knew about this trip for months, and planned deadlines around it.
• I communicated my out of office time to my clients, including the fact that I wasn’t bringing anything I could reasonably work on.
• I used hardware and software to limit my ability to check distracting apps. Email is the first app I open when I check my phone, but seeing it greyed out was enough of a barrier to not worry about it.
• I had a contingency plan in place in case a true emergency happened.

But here’s the real secret: I built my business around my family…not the other way around.

I’ve been very selective about the type of work I do. I help busy solopreneurs like myself. The websites I support are small, information sites primarily for mom and pop shops. I don’t have clients with high pressure jobs or businesses than can lose a lot of money due to a little downtime.

I left my agency job 8 years ago because I wanted to have a more family-friendly life.

Here’s how you can do it too

You can’t have good systems and processes without intentionality.

I’m intentional about the work I do. I was also intentional about my approach to work leading up to the trip, and the system I put in place during the trip.

The good news is, it’s never too late to be intentional. When I discussed how solopreneurs can take sabbaticals with Maegan Megginson, she gave us the same advice I shared here: do some planning in advance.

If you want to take a work-free vacation (and I strongly recommend you do):

1. Work backwards from your vacation date to see how much time you have.
2. Pre-record or pre-create content. A little extra each week is all you need to do.
3. Make a list of projects you absolutely need to do before your time away.
4. Communicate 1 month ahead of time to any current clients that you’ll be away.
5. Set up an auto-responder.
6. Don’t bring work devices.
7. Use something like BePresent, ScreenTime+, or the Brick to limit what apps you can access.
8. Set up a small contingency: a trusted friend who can respond to emergencies (actual emergencies) while you’re gone.
9. Remember that depending on the type of work you do, there are no actual emergencies.

Summer is coming up! Do you plan on having a work-free vacation? How will you be intentional to make sure you’re fully present?

Comment and let me know!