385: How to Take Time Off as an Influencer

[00:00:00] When was the last time you actually unplugged? Like really stepped away from content creation without picking up your phone, checking social media, worrying about the algorithm, worrying about all the different things. When was the last time you really took a break and unplugged? It's can be really hard.

[00:00:21] It can be really, really challenging to fully step away. From something that is your job, something that is your full-time job or something that you want to be your full-time career because you can worry about things like losing followers or missing opportunities or the algorithm messing up, right, or income dropping.

[00:00:41] If you've already got things like, if I don't post a certain amount of time, my income will go down. So this episode is airing right before Thanksgiving. Okay. And it, so I think it's a perfect time for us to talk about this, create a plan, and give ourselves permission to rest. By the end of this episode, you will have a plan to take time off, guilt and worry free during the holidays and also at other parts throughout the year.

[00:01:08] So let's get into it. Hey there, I'm grief here, content creator, coach, and your host of the Thrive Podcast. And I'm here to help you build a brand you're proud of with clear strategy and real support. Let's dive in.

[00:01:26] So first, let's address those very real fears and why we're so afraid to take time off. The first one being. My audience will forget about me. Is that something you struggle with? Just worrying that like if I'm not showing up, if I'm not top of mind, they're going somewhere, they're not going to remember me.

[00:01:48] And you know, here is the reality is that your audience has lives too and they're not refreshing. Your page 24 7, wondering where you are. We're going to talk about how do we loop our audience in? This is gonna be part of our plan. How do we loop them in on us taking time off? So we'll talk about that in a minute.

[00:02:15] Another fear could be that the algorithm is going to tank your account. And the reality here is that. Taking one week off won't destroy months and years of work. Consistency matters more long-term than you like Missing a day, and if this is something that you struggle with, is taking time off on the weekends.

[00:02:40] I hope that this episode will help with that as well. But the algorithm sees. Your progress and your consistency over the month, over the years, and so you taking time off for a reason is not going to destroy all the hard work and make you be starting at zero. That is easier for me to say than for me to force you to believe, but I can promise you that I have seen other content creators do it.

[00:03:11] I have done it myself, but even larger, much larger content creators than me, I have seen them take extended time off. Even like upwards of a month or two and come back and still have their audience be stronger than ever. Studio DIY is one that did this. If you followed Kelly Mendel for any length of time, you know that a couple years ago she took several months off, she stepped away and now she's back and her audience is strong as ever.

[00:03:45] There's been countless others that have done it and have taken a few weeks off, or taken a month off, taken multiple days off, and are still thriving. So it's not just me saying it, it's actually there is proof. Another fear can be I'll lose income or brand opportunities. What I wanna address with this fear is how burnout actually costs us more in the long run, right?

[00:04:12] Because. If we take some time off, let's say that your main source of income is affiliate revenue. Yes, a hundred percent. You're not gonna be getting as many clicks, you're not gonna be getting as many, um, purchases during that time that you're taking off unless we set things up in the background to work for you.

[00:04:33] Right. Which we're gonna talk about, but. The reality is that if you push and push and push and never take a break, you are going to burn out. And then what happens? What happens then? How long does it take for you to come back? Or how long do you push even though you are in burnout and your content just slowly starts becoming less and less effective over time because you are in this state of burnout with no creativity and nothing in your tank to give.

[00:05:05] So missing some link clicks or missing one collab versus being so burnt out that you can't show up well for anything, right? I would rather you miss a week, miss even a month, and be able to come back rejuvenated and stronger than ever and keep growing your business. And I get it. I have felt all of these fears, but here's what can actually happen when you take time off and.

[00:05:35] Here, here's, you know, me taking time off. So I like to take several weeks off during the year. And I as of now, like this is December. No, this is not December. Ooh. Thank goodness. We are in November. I tell y'all, I tell all my friends, once November 1st hit hits, it is like, boom, my year is gone. I'm already feeling it.

[00:06:01] So I like to take off at least two weeks at Christmas and a week at Thanksgiving. I'm just talking about holidays. I've been really bad about planning. Time off throughout the rest of the year. I take off some time during my daughter's birthday and I take some time off for my birthday, but nothing else really like set in stone, and so I'm wanting to do that and go ahead and plan for my 2026 time off, but when I don't do that.

[00:06:33] I really struggle getting back into it. Um, so if I only take a few days off during holidays and during different things, I really struggle when it comes to getting back to my desk, let's say on January 1st, right? So especially holiday season, which is why I'm talking about this now. We are pushing really hard for those final sales, those final analytics, those final brand deals, right?

[00:07:03] To really just like nail home and make as much money as possible before January 1st. That is the goal, right? And it's typically. Really a really wonderful time. During this time of year, sales go up, page views, increase more brand deals. All of the things are going up, right, so we are on overdrive when it comes to work.

[00:07:28] We're pushing as hard as we can, and then holidays hit and we are hit with family obligations, activities, events, hosting parties, pictures, present, buying, wrapping, all of the different things, right? If we don't take extended time off, we have just gone from busy, insane, crazy busy work. Right to now. Really super crazy busy holidays.

[00:08:04] And if we don't have some time in there in between to rest, to find some creativity, to remember why we love this, it's going to make it really hard going back. Right. And our creative spark is just going to be flatlined. When we hit our desk in January. So that's what's happened to me before and that is something that I noticed happened to myself last year.

[00:08:36] I didn't take as much time off as I typically would have, and I just was going constantly from work and then going constantly with family things, and so. I didn't have time to rest to allow myself to do creative things to bring it back. It was more so just like, yes, creative things, but also because there's a deadline and hustling and all of these different types of things, right?

[00:09:01] When you take a break, when you fully rest, you are going to allow your creative spark to rest and therefore to stay lit. Taking time off isn't hurting your business. It's actually protecting it. Because what happens after, even if it's just like, okay, yes, family obligation, so I have to take time off, or if you take an extended time off, you come back.

[00:09:34] Your business was fine. Your audience is still there, right? But when we are fully allowing ourselves to rest. Creativity is coming back. We feel excited to go into the new year. We feel rejuvenated and ready to take on new goals and different things that we want to accomplish in our business, and we're ready to create content again.

[00:09:56] Right. You are currently feeling like, oh my gosh, I am just dredging through. Then you probably need to schedule some extended time off. So let's talk about permission to rest and then we're gonna dive into an actual. Plan. Okay. So that way you feel really good about taking time off without worrying that everything is going to fall apart.

[00:10:21] Okay? Real talk. When's the last time you got excited about checking your mail? Like actually excited and yes, I mean, your physical mailbox. Most days it's bills and flyers, right? But what if once a month there was something in there that made you stop, smile, and feel like someone was thinking of you?

[00:10:40] That's the Cozy Post Club. For $9 a month, you're set an envelope filled with the kind of things that just feel good, a friendly note, a delicious recipe. You'll actually wanna make a poem that feels like a hug, a darling art print, and a cozy little surprise. It's inspired by those sticker covered letters we used to send just because nineties movies, night rereading your favorite book, all those moments that remind us to slow down.

[00:11:09] As content creators, we live online, but there's just something magical about holding something real in your hands. Something made with care just for you. Gift it to yourself or send it to a long distance friend so you can both have that. Hey, I got mail moment together. Sign up at the cozy post club.com.

[00:11:29] That's the cozy post club.com. Cancel anytime, but I have a feeling you won't want to. So with giving yourself permission to rest. What I wanna talk about here is that you are not just giving yourself permission to rest, but you're also modeling healthy boundaries for your audience. So many of my friends who aren't content creators are removing social media from their phones and forcing themselves to take a break.

[00:12:00] I was just talking about this with a friend on Thursday that she's like, I had to just like delete social media from my mental health. The world feels really heavy right now and we need to take breaks. Our friends that aren't even content creators are like, whoa, I need a break. But it's also hard for them to step away just like it is for us, even though this is like, okay, this is my business, right?

[00:12:27] It's also harder for just your average ordinary friend who does not create content, but just likes to consume it. It's also hard for them to take breaks, and we can be the catalyst to help our audience take a break themselves, so we can encourage them and openly tell our audience, Hey, I'm taking time off.

[00:12:51] You should too. Here's why I am taking time off. Here are the things that I'm going to do instead. This is going to help normalize rest. In a culture that glorifies hustle and consumption. So what I want you to do here is I want you to think of someone in your audience. Maybe it's someone you've talked to in your dm, someone who is exhausted, someone who is affected by the heaviness that can appear on social media.

[00:13:23] Someone who's going 24 7 and just needs a minute for themselves. How can you encourage her? How can you encourage her to step away from her phone to take time away from social media, especially over the holidays? Your audience doesn't need you to be on 24 7. They need you to be sustainable. They need you to be there, but they also need you to, you know, you are like the big sister to your audience.

[00:13:57] They need you to model good behavior, really. Right? Like they need to see, hey, they're taking a break. I'm gonna take a break with her. Bri said that she is taking the whole week of Thanksgiving off and she's going to spend a couple of days doing fun, creative stuff, a couple of days planning for hosting, and then actually hosting.

[00:14:18] That's literally what my plan is, is I'm taking some time for me before the chaos of hosting friends and family, and then I'm taking time to prep for friends and family. And then actually spending time with those people. I need some rest before I have to entertain. So that's my plan. If you want to like do it that with me, I would love that.

[00:14:42] Please DM me and be like, Hey, Brie, all right. I'm doing the same thing as you. Or if you have kiddos that are in school and then they're off, right? Like. That's, you know, another thing that you're having to juggle. So maybe you need to take a day off for yourself before all of that starts, and I know it's coming up so, so soon.

[00:15:00] When does this episode release? Oh my gosh. I might be shooting myself in the foot with telling you all of this. November 20th. It's literally next week. Okay. So, see, I, I, I try, try to talk about this stuff as early as possible, but it's like I can never talk about it early enough. Okay. We're kind of probably already in the thick of it as you're listening to this.

[00:15:19] Okay. So we're gonna like do our best to take time off of social media next week, and then we're going to use this to also plan for December. Okay. All right. Let me get back to my notes here. So take a few days from social media. As many as you can next week for Thanksgiving. I know it's Black Friday, I know all the things right?

[00:15:43] We're gonna talk about that plan in just a minute. Christmas. I want you to take a minimum of one week off, but longer if you can. If you have kids, I want you to take a minimum of one to two days away from social media. Let's say that, okay. I, yes. I want you to take a break from your, from your business, okay?

[00:16:04] I want you to have everything set in stone with this plan that we're about to go through to where you can just like go shopping, go meet a girlfriend for coffee, take yourself to a bookstore, and just chill. Okay? But if that's not possible, at a minimum, I want you to just turn social media off. There are times.

[00:16:27] During this to be present with family, to recharge, to remember what matters, and this is all going to make your business stronger. Okay? So hopefully I've sold you on the idea of taking a break and now you're like, okay, how do I do this without everything falling apart? Alright. That's where a lot of creators get stuck.

[00:16:53] Because it's one thing to want to rest, but it's another thing to have systems in place to let you step away without stressing about what you're missing. And that's actually something we focus on a lot inside of Bold fluence. Not just the creating content, but creating it in a way that feels actually sustainable.

[00:17:12] We're going to teach you how to batch efficiently, how to set up automations so things keep running while you're offline. And how to build a content strategy that doesn't require you to be on every single day. This is not just for the holidays, this is for the entire year, because I promise you this is the truth.

[00:17:32] The most successful creators are not the ones hustling 24 7. And I was just telling my friend yesterday how I am having to really work on switching my mindset because I want to grow, I want to increase my income next year, but my brain keeps telling me that the only way to do that is to hustle harder.

[00:17:53] And I refuse. I do not wanna work more. I want to work less, and I want to make more money. And successful content creators are doing that. They're the ones who know how to work smart, how to take breaks, and how to show up consistently without burning out. So. If you want that kind of strategy and support, come join us inside Bold Fluence.

[00:18:17] It's $49 a month for all the roadmaps, all the templates, tech tutorials in the community that gets it. So just click bold, fluence in the description, or Head to Thrive together. Blog slash bold fluence. All right now. Let me walk you through exactly how to prep for time off. So I've got six steps that we're gonna walk through to take time off without feeling like everything is falling apart.

[00:18:43] Um, the last two steps are. Well, I'm not gonna say easy, but it's the part where we talk about actually unplugging. So the first step is to decide your dates. That's easy, right? Get out your calendar and pick your time off. In advance. So this is where I talked about how I want to sit down now and look at my entire 2026 because I do want to plan for some more time off throughout the year, not just a bulk of it at the end of the year.

[00:19:16] I think that's really gonna help me with burnout and creativity and really making sure that I am prioritizing rest because when I do that, spark comes back and I am re-energized and am able to be a better coach for you guys. So pick your time off in advance and put it on your calendar, like an appointment that you can't miss.

[00:19:38] Step two is we're going to batch content in advance, so I don't expect you to go completely. Ghost your entire audience for a month. If you don't want to, you can. Like I said, I gave some examples earlier and I have seen people do it, and their business has been just fine. If that makes you want to break out in hives or makes you feel like you're going to break out in hives, I should say, then.

[00:20:06] This is how we're going to prevent that stress. Okay, so looking at what has to go out, and this is where you can have things front loaded to get it scheduled so you have content continuing to go out while you are resting. So maybe it's an email to your list scheduled blog posts, scheduled social media posts.

[00:20:29] But really ask yourself what can wait, and it's probably more than you think. So look at that batch one to two weeks before your break so you're not scrambling. Or if you're planning on taking an entire month off, like you're gonna need a little bit more time. So this is why it's really in. Important that first step to pick your dates.

[00:20:51] 'cause if you decide, all right, I am going to take a month off this summer to go on vacation and to spend time with my kids and I don't wanna worry about work, then you're going to want to front load more of that work and spread it out over several months so that way it doesn't feel like, oh my gosh, I have so much work these last two weeks before I go on break.

[00:21:11] And then you're really entering your break. In full burnout 'cause you are exhausted from all that extra work that you did. Okay. So batch ahead of time, set those dates and really give yourself space to batch what has to go out. But really being ruthless with like can this wait, so you can batch Instagram stories, you can batch emails, you can prep blog posts, Pinterest, all of that can still go out.

[00:21:41] If it needs to. Okay. Step three is setting expectations with your audience. So again, like bringing them into this with you, encouraging them to take time off of social media and encouraging them to step away and disconnect. Or maybe to, you know, use their vacation time at work. I know so many people are like.

[00:22:03] I mean, I don't know bad about like hoarding vacation time and then scrambling at the end of the year and taking so much time off. We definitely have that problem over here. So, you know, post ahead of time and tell your audience, Hey, I'm taking these days off to recharge. You won't hear from me. And that's on purpose and this is why I am taking time.

[00:22:21] And then give them permission to, I hope you take time. To rest. I hope you take some time for yourself, whether it's now or whether it's at some point this year. Encourage them, teach them how you did it and that they can do the same. And then if you need to set an auto reply on dms or emails, use things.

[00:22:41] You know, there's auto reply settings that you can obviously use in your email. There's different tools like MiniChat that you can use for social media that works for both Instagram and Facebook, and it also now works for TikTok if you need something over there and then communicate with any brands or clients that you have, so let anyone know.

[00:23:02] Your dates in advance that you are working with. So if you have brands that you are currently deciding, Hey, when is this post gonna go live? Be like, you know what, I'm out these days. So it needs to happen around this time. And, you know, set those deadlines before your break or after you return. And most brands are very respectful.

[00:23:22] If you're upfront, you know, and unless you're taking an entire summer off and they need summer content, you know, can you post it in May so it's ready to go? Or can, is it something that you can batch and have already shot and ready to go and maybe you do need to just log in for, you know, a couple hours to post it?

[00:23:43] I don't know. If you do, it's, you know, how is your audience going to react to that one random post? So I would set that expectation with your audience ahead of time. Like, Hey, you're gonna see me pop in around this week 'cause I've got something special that I have to share. But otherwise I'm kind of out and disconnecting honesty and just being real with your audience is how you're going to work through this.

[00:24:07] If it is affiliate content that you're concerned about and you're like, Brie, you know, 90% of my income is affiliate driven. Schedule those posts. You can schedule everything for Instagram. You can schedule things for Facebook. Maybe now is a good time to even experiment with ads for affiliates. Um, it's something that we haven't talked about here on the podcast just yet, but it's something that I'm diving into myself and with a client of mine where we're testing running meta ads for Amazon in particular.

[00:24:40] So I'll keep you guys posted on how that goes. I think that's probably gonna be a 2026 topic that we can dive into. And so that's something to consider is, is that something you want to learn how to do? Step five, actually unplug. Delete the apps from your phone if you need to. If you are not good about like picking up your phone and not looking at those apps, delete them, remove them, move them to a hidden folder, put a password on it, something, so that way you're not able to get into those apps mindlessly.

[00:25:13] It's amazing how quickly, it's just like you don't even think about it. You just pick your phone up and all of a sudden the app is open and you're scrolling. It's default, so make sure that you have something in place so you're not doing that. Turn off your notifications. You turned on an out of office responder for your email, so just trust that everything is going to run if you've batched it, and then everything will be there when you get back.

[00:25:40] And then step six is to return refreshed, not frantic. So you need to ease back in. Don't try to catch up on everything the first week, the first day, first week, however long it is. Don't try to play catch up. Okay. This is not the point. That is something that I talk with my husband about is like if you're taking vacation time, you need to take vacation time.

[00:26:01] You're not like. It's like this massive amount of work before and then afterwards, like vacation's almost not even worth it. We have more control. We are the boss, we are the content creators who own the business, so we are the ones setting those expectations on ourselves. We don't have a corporate manager that is setting those for us, so do not try to catch up on everything.

[00:26:28] And like the first day, first week. Have a plan before you do this on what are, what is it going to look like when I come back? And then notice how much more creative and energized you feel once you fully commit to doing all these steps and fully commit to that break. So the last part of this is taking breaks throughout the year because breaks aren't just for holidays.

[00:26:57] You really need to build them into your regular rhythm. So maybe it's something like a long weekend, once a quarter or a week off every few months. Plan it now. Pull out your calendar and mark off breaks that you'll take over the next six to 12 months. Like I said, I'm gonna try to do this for the whole year.

[00:27:17] The better you plan for these breaks, the more you can strategize your content throughout the year so that way a break doesn't feel drastic. Right? And things can keep running automatically while you've stepped away. So if you want time off during the summer or a certain vacation or you're, you have a trip planned, right?

[00:27:36] Like, let's plan that now so that way you're not hitting like two weeks before. I mean like, oh my God, I'm so much to do before I go in. Like on this trip or on this vacation, right? You're able to really front load more work and make plans for what can pause and what is going to be perfectly fine when I step away and then treat this rest as part of your business strategy.

[00:28:00] We don't wanna treat this like a luxury. This is actually a part of your business strategy, and that is something that. I have not been able to do unless friends, like literally hold me accountable to this. 'cause I'm like, well, I'm paying for childcare and I should be working. I shouldn't be out, like, you know, filling the thi filling up my cup, right?

[00:28:18] Like out shopping or out at the bookstore, out getting coffee with a friend. Like, I'm, I'm wasting time. I'm wasting money. And they have had to like drill it in me like, Brie, no. This is how, this is productive rest. This is going to benefit your business. And it. It truly takes me doing it multiple times.

[00:28:39] It's taken me doing it multiple times to actually see the results and to realize that, yeah, this is an integral part of my business because otherwise when I push, I empty my cup completely and there's nothing left. The most successful creators are the ones who have figured this out and who aren't burning out because they're figuring out that balance.

[00:29:04] And I know balance is like, balance is elusive, blah, blah, blah. I really think when it comes to this, it is vital to your business to figure out. How do I balance, you know, the workload, but then also allowing myself time off so that way I can continue running this business long term and you have permission to rest, okay?

[00:29:30] If you need somebody to grant you permission, granted your business will be fine. Your audience will be there and you're going to come back better. So I really want you to, you know, close out this episode and go pick your dates right now. Any holidays that you celebrate and at least one more break in the new year, and just remind yourself, rest isn't lazy.

[00:29:53] It's strategic. Okay? Whatever kind of mantra you have to come up with to convince yourself that this is good for your business, please do it. So this Thanksgiving, this holiday season, I want you to actually unplug, be present, recharge, and come back ready to create from a full cup, not one that is bone dry.

[00:30:17] And if you're realizing that, hey, I want more support building my content strategy building. Sustainable business so I can take these breaks without stressing out so much. That's exactly what we do. Inside Bold Fluence. We help you work smarter, not harder, so that way you can grow your brand without sacrificing your life and your sanity in the process.

[00:30:38] So click bold, fluence in the description or Head to Thrive Together, blog slash bold influence to join us. Thanks for being here and I truly, truly hope that you take this time to rest and recharge. You really deserve it.

[00:30:58] If this episode helped you, help us grow, leave a review, share it with a friend, and tag us on social media. We can't wait to cheer you on.