On Taking Time Off

Later today, we are embarking on a two week European adventure with the kids and I am so excited to unplug for the entire trip! I’m hoping to be completely present for without checking my email from the pool or editing content in a bathroom stall. I never ever travel without my laptop and on this trip I am actually going to!

If you know me, you know that turning off and taking a break is not something that comes particularly naturally.

I want to take a real break and create core memories for my whole family. Who knows when we will get the opportunity to do something like this again!

I work for myself, which is a huge privilege and something I’m grateful for every day. But one of the downsides of working for yourself, especially when your work involves sharing your life online, is that there is never really a clear line where work ends and life begins.

And because I still love what I do after all these years, it can be even harder to draw that line. There is always something I could be doing. Always an email I could answer, a photo I could take, a post I could write, a way to turn a moment into content.

But the last few months have been intense. There have been big transitions and a million moving pieces. While everything may look hunky dory online, there are always things going on behind the scenes and our BTS has been a lot over the last two months.

I think there is a difference between wanting a vacation and needing rest And man do I need a rest! I’m emotionally exhausted and need to recharge.

Not necessarily the lie-on-a-beach-and-sleep-for-12-hours kind of rest (although I’m interested in that too). I really just need a break from thinking about what comes next. What needs to get done. What needs a response. What I should be posting. What I forgot. Who needs what from me.

I want, for two weeks, to stop living five steps ahead of myself. I want to just be wherever I am.

I want to take a beautiful photo of my kids because I want to remember that moment, not because I’m already thinking about how it will perform on Instagram. I want to eat the pasta while it’s hot. I want to swim with them instead of sitting by the pool answering emails. I want to go to bed tired from a full day with my family instead of tired from trying to squeeze work into the cracks of it.

From a business perspective this is a horrible idea. I am leaving money on the table and will likely lose followers and subscribers. Not to mention a family vacation in Italy gets an immense amount of engagement!

But I also know that I will never look back and wish I had posted more photos.

But at the end of the day, I am hoping to come back refreshed and rejuvenated with lots of great content ideas and a new energy to bring to the proverbial table. But even if I don’t? Two weeks spent fully present with my family will have been worth it.

So with that, arrivederci. My out-of-office is officially on.

I’ll see you in two weeks! 🇮🇹