This summer I’m going to have a string of visitors. My nephew, Seth, is staying for the next two months and has already claimed my couch as his exclusive territory. Family members are coming — with my invitation and approval — in droves.
But I still have to run a business. In fact, I’m trying not just to run a business but expand it, and I can’t afford to let the summer just slip by. We have a new line of books coming out in October, so we have many real deadlines to meet.
I want to enjoy my summer, spend time with family and friends, even take a personal vacation. And I want to run and grow my business. How do I juggle both at the same time?
Managing summer is a dilemma many entrepreneurs face. The key is to find the right balance between work and play, time at the office and time at the beach. It’s never easy, and by the time September rolls around, you may be thrilled the kids are back at school and the visitors have all left. But in the meantime, you want to have an enjoyable and productive summer.
Here are some tricks to help you handle summer visitors:
Set realistic expectations. You are not going to be able to totally revamp your Web site, call on everyone whose business card you’ve collected in the past few months, and raise money for a new business while your house is filled with friends and family. Be more modest in your business aspirations, recognizing you’ll have many distractions.
Work when you’re at work. Of course, like us, you may have outside forces determining that you have to work hard during the summer. So plan your time carefully and don’t waste time when you’re in the office or at your desk. Stay focused, even if you want to call your best friend and let her know how much your father is driving you crazy.
Give yourself flexible work hours. You may want to come in (or go to your desk) an hour or two later so you can chat over coffee with your visitors before they go sightseeing. Or you’ll want to quit early to catch a play or go miniature golfing. It’s okay.
Set home-based work hours. If you work at home, it’s far more difficult to manage the tug-of-war between work and visitors. So, BEFORE your visitors arrive, set some ground rules. Let them know you need to work, and that they’ll have to be out of the house for a certain number of hours every day. Of course, I’m realistic — limits can work with your ex-roommate but isn’t going to cut it with Mom.
Compile a list of distractions for your visitors. Before visitors descend on you, gather tour books of your area, public transit schedules if they’re not bringing a car, suggested day trips, and lists of area attractions. You’ll be far less distracted at work if your visitors are out sightseeing rather than sticking around your back yard.
Do something unusual. Have you been wanting to take sailing lessons? Visit the new museum? See the historic town a couple hours away? Now’s your chance. These are great things to share with visitors. You’ll feel personally rewarded as well as spending time with them, so you won’t resent the loss of work nearly as much.
Alert your staff. If you have employees, sit down at the beginning of summer and let them know that you’ll be somewhat less available. And, no, the rules are not the same for you as they are for all your employees. There’s a reason you own the company.
Take your own vacation. After spending time with visitors, you may feel that you’re not entitled to take time for yourself. Wrong! Entertaining visitors is another form of work. You need to recharge your own batteries.
Remember, the word “recreation” comes from “re-create.” Take some time off to re-create yourself, so you’ll have fresh ideas and renewed energy to bring to your business in the fall. Take a vacation, kick back, see some inspiring scenery, travel some place new, plant a garden, or read some books. Recharge. Reflect. Renew.
Rhonda Abrams is the author of “Six-Week Start-Up” and “What Business Should I Start?”
