If you have a home-based business, it can be difficult to draw the line between “working hours” and “time off”. It can be especially difficult during your family’s vacation. While you may be ready for a vacation and a break, you may also feel guilty for not working. Here are some arguments for both sides of the equation. They may help you decide if you should or should not work during your vacation.

It is true that everyone deserves a break now and then. You have worked hard all year, and it is okay to put your business aside and enjoy a vacation for a week or two. However, it can be hard to get back to work if you lose your motivation. Your two-week vacation may turn into a six-week vacation, which can severely hurt your profits for months to come.

Before you take any time off, create an action plan of the tasks you wish to complete when you get back. If you come back to a set list of goals, it will be easier to get back in the swing of things.

When deciding if you should work during your vacation, take a look at the type of business you have. People with service-based businesses will have a harder time taking a break than someone with a more passive income. If you provide a service to others, let your clients know well in advance when you will be taking time off. Complete all of your pending projects before you leave. And make sure you give your regular clients the name of someone who can perform the same type of services as you, in case they need emergency help.

If you do not currently outsource any of your work, start doing so as soon as possible. This will free up your time considerably and make taking a vacation a lot easier. You will be able to enjoy your time off, and your business will still be “running”. Hire a virtual assistant to handle some of your email or other administrative tasks, hire a ghostwriter to write your blog posts for you while you are on vacation, etc.

If you do not currently have any passive sources of income, such as affiliate marketing links or your own digital information products, you may want to consider creating some. You can load your information products into a shopping cart system that will automatically deliver the download links to your customers. You can step away from your business for a short time and still earn an income.

Of course, you will need to continue marketing your business once you get back from vacation. Creating a passive income source will allow you to earn residual income on work you have completed in the past. But you still need to put time and effort into growing your business.