To want to take a week's holiday?

[KatyTheCleaningLady]

I know in advance that most people will say IANBU, but I'm really struggling with the idea of taking a week off in the near future and I'm hoping you can help me.

I'm self-employed. I haven't taken a day off since I started my business in January. Before I had many clients, I spent every spare hour distributing leaflets. I usually work four days a week, with Mondays being for one-off cleans, so sometimes five days. I can do three houses a day (6-8 hours, leaving time to drive around and eat lunch, etc.) I have space in my schedule for maybe three or four more clients a week.

I should be spending spare Mondays and Tuesdays distributing leaflets to fill up my remaining slots. But, I'm really feeling very tired and burnt out. I'm not enjoying the work and I am feeling quite negative about myself and the work I do.

I would like to take a holiday and get a little time away by myself, even if it's just camping nearby or something in August when my husband will (hopefully) be back with us all the time.

Anyway, I feel really funny about taking time off. I feel like it's decadent to rest. Americans don't really get vacations - not mandated by law, and you often have to have a certain white collar level and have been there for a length of time to get two weeks off paid, and even so Americans rarely take the days they are allowed.

Also, I am terrified at the thought of telling clients that I will not be available for them. I would hate to inconvenience them. It would be great if I could time my holidays to coincide with theirs, but since they don't all go on holiday at the same time, that's not going to work.

I have this stupid idea that a virtuous person is a hard worker and a hard worker is focused on customer satisfaction and puts their job first.

Help me!

I just called my husband. I told him about the keys and how I feel so shit that I can't bring myself to tell someone that I'm worth a bunch of money and how putting on my uniform in the morning makes me nauseous... And I said that Bloodstock would be a great, total break. Just drinking and head banging free of all cares. And he said "Buy the ticket. You need this."

Just having this to look forward to is already making me feel better!

And I'm only going to miss out on Fridays clients. Monday's can be rescheduled.

Although I may take Thursday off, too.

Thanks for helping me get to this point!

Yay!!! Go Katy!!!

Good for you! Glad it ended this way. Have a lovely time!

Glad you have it sorted.

My sister is a cleaning lady like you and has to put up with all sorts of weird and wonderful folk lol.

To build her business she would arrive an hour earlier to some of her appointments and drop leaflets off in that area, stating when she had a slot free. That way she has 4 full days in certain areas without having to travel backwards and forwards.

With her established clients (that she likes) she will sometimes mention if she has a space and if they know anyone that will benefit from her her services. Shes filled up most of her slots with word of mouth referrals.

Finally, if you have a couple of free days a month, and want to fill them contact your local letting agents. Many of them use cleaners to do full house cleans when tenants have left. They tend to be full day jobs and because they are one off's she charges more than what she normally does. Its not every month obviously, but it can be a good way to pull in extra income. Sometimes it can mean working a saturday to accomodate a landlord who wants to let you in and out but she charges a bit extra to cover working her weekend.

Finally you should give yourself holidays. I'm self employed and don't work over christmas for 2 weeks, then will pick and choose what I do when its school holidays (usually bare minimum but my work is quieter that time too). Plan your holidays around when you are less busy (easter/spring bank week/summer hols/christmas etc) then you won't loose much income.

And if your husband moans, tell him your clients are all away, put your feet up and relax!

Superb advice Frouby and enjoy your holiday Katy x

I am sure that most of your clients would be understanding as long as you give them plenty of notice.

I've just talked to my favourite clients about the way I've gotten on a bad streak with the one client, and they said "post them their keys with a note saying " the recent errors I've made have shocked me into the realisation that I've overextended myself. I apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your custom." Then, put them out of my mind and fill that slot with someone who loves you like we do after you've had your break.

I am going to do just that. I usually have a love fest with my clients and if there's a bad feeling for any reason, I don't think it's good to try and tough it out.

Have fun at Bloodstock!

Good for you! Life's too short to be this unhappy. Enjoy your weekend of head banging and please, lose your guilt about taking a holiday. You're a Brit now here we take our holidays, we love our holidays and we look forward to them, knowing we've earned them. My ILs are American and my MIL never, ever took her holidays and I never understood why. Having lived in America myself for six years I stood and listened while people boasted to me about how they'd gone X number of years without a holiday and how they never used their whole two week annual allowance and I just thought 'More fool you!'. Who the hell lies on their death bed wishing they'd spent more time at work? No one. So go, enjoy yourself and make this an annual thing. In this country you are ENTITLED to take a certain amount of holiday and people will be more surprised if you don't.