Is it wise to take a vacation when self employed?

I was speaking to some of my other self employed friends about how wise it would be to take a vacation while self employed. Granted, with the weather we have had in the Boston area, many don't feel like they want to take a vacation never mind see the need for one. But still the question is very valid and one that requires deep soul searching. As an hourly employee, not working basically means you are not earning money. What do you do on vacation but really spend money. So as you can see it is a week of financial bleeding.

I would say that we self employed should take some time off if for no other reason than sanity's sake. I don't think we can afford a full week off, but we should still consider that there are serious physical and mental health issues that come without taking time off to, as the old cliche goes, recharge the batteries. Vacation time has been shown to be a proven means of increasing intellectual capabilities and overall job satisfaction. In addition, a clear link to taking time off and increased overall job performance has been clearly established.

That being said, one should go to great lengths to ensure to clients they are not being abandoned. A vacation needs to be scheduled around large projects and slow times in clients calendars. We do not have the luxury of back up or colleagues to pick up the slack for when we are not around. Also, while a vacation does not require you to be in constant contact with clients, lets face it, you might as well stay home if you're going to do that, you should check email or have some means of checking in for emergencies. But do that early in the morning!

Nice to see the Red Sox bounce back thanks to a great pitching performance from Josh Beckett. Right now I am arguing they are the best team in baseball. They are on top of the best division in baseball so that by extension should make them the best team in baseball I believe.

Now if only summer would arrive. Yesterday was unreal with the downpours and thunder. Now I can't say that the thunder was very heavy down here but the rain was almost of a tropical nature. I found it much more interesting to watch the rain than to work on my writing. I didn't watch the foolishness on television because I am not into the culture of the celebrity. Nature always proves that it is the most fascinating spectacle on the planet.