Hibernation: Why I Take 3 Weeks Off at the End of the Year

As an attorney, author, and content creator in the estate and Medicaid planning arenas, I have very long work days throughout the year. However, I do take three consecutive weeks off at the end of the year, and my clients have always been curious about this since most attorneys are only taking off a week, or maybe two, at a time. The fact is there are some solid reasons for handling my time off this way, and I thought I’d share this with you.

The Industry Around Estate Planning

Estate planning is something that people are triggered to do when a disaster happens to someone they know and love. While all adults know they need to put together their own estate plan or they end up relying on the default plan that the government set up for them. However, I have to consistently market and create content around planning so that when people end up searching for help, the information is there and fresh. This typically means I am working 12-14 hour days most weekdays, and there’s always videos, podcasts, and writing to be done on the weekends.

This is exhausting. That is why a solid “reset” is needed after keeping up this type of schedule for an entire year. The fact is one week at a time doesn’t really do it, at least not for me, which is why I use the time most people are mentally, or even actually, shutting down to take my own time off.

Why the end of the year?

I have been running my planning law firm for many years now, and I have seen consistent patterns to realize that the end of the year is the ideal time to take a break this long. In the past, I used to work except for the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. What we ended up with was a lighter but still active calendar of 6-7 appointments a week… of which 5-6 appointments cancelled at the last minute only to reschedule for January. So I ended up sitting around the office with very little work wondering why I was getting dressed up and prepared to meet with clients who rarely showed.

In addition, there were only 2-3 calls per week that needed my specific attention, and they almost always ended up being questions that could wait until January. After a few years of this, I decided to take the time off completely, and VERY rarely are there any true emergencies.

Where are you going and what are you doing?

Some of my clients are avid consumers of my social media and videos, and they wonder what great trips I would be taking, what active vacations I’m going to be on, and what interesting people I will be meeting. The fact is that I really don’t do all that much except for a few days around Christmas spent in Williamsburg, VA for Christmas Town at Busch Gardens and a few special events at Colonial Williamsburg.

Other than that, I am catching up on some shows I wanted to see but didn’t get the chance to during the year, home repairs and chores that could wait, and generally enjoying time off. We already visited family hundreds of miles away for Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping was over then. And I don’t see the need for any type of vacation with a ton of activities that will only leave me more tired than when I left.

The other great benefit is I slowly start to get the “strategic planning” itch about a week and a half in, so I may spend an hour or two each day coming up with ideas for the coming year. The fact is that strategic planning needs to be done with a clear mind without the distractions of daily business items, and that doesn’t happen for me until some serious time off is available. By the time I get back in the office, there are already plans for the coming year on the calendar. If you have every enjoyed any of the webinars, interview podcasts, or new courses, it is probably during this time off that I came up with the ideas for them.

What about emergencies?

During this time I take off, actual emergencies are VERY rare. Someone coming to my firm after immediately falling ill in late December, expecting to pass on before early January, yet are still mentally competent to create their estate plan just hasn’t happened in all of the years I have been a planning attorney. And if something has to be in place immediately, we now have an online do-it-yourself estate document planning service through one of my other companies at www.EstatePatch.com if something really does need to be in place immediately. People have passed on during that timeframe, and the family has had questions, but I do have an entire course online at www.TrusteeQuickstart.com that discusses the immediate steps to take and not take, and the actual estate and trust settlement work can begin when I return in January.

However, before I had staff that was fully informed on procedures for emergencies during this time off, I heard “It’s just five minutes.” First, it’s never just five minutes but often six or seven “just five minute” calls, emails, and other follow ups. Second, a series of short interruptions is not time off. The way I see and feel about it is like being woken up from sleep several times a night. Imagine waking someone up from an eight hour sleep schedule, every hour on the hour for a five minute question, and then telling them they have no right to be tired because they still got seven hours and twenty minutes of sleep. That’s how I personally feel if I’m not allowed to let my brain let work go for those three weeks.

What does constitute an emergency then? If it is a true emergency, then I will make myself available for $2,000 per hour for a minimum of two hours. If the client considers that outrageous, then it is likely something that can wait until I’m back or they can get another attorney to handle that for them. What I would end up doing is use that $4,000 or more to take an additional week off in February or March to help finish up my recharge, but it hasn’t happened yet—no one wants to pay that fee for their question or work. Have I lost business because of this hourly rate during those three weeks? Yes, but I’m not going to be concerned over losing a few hundred dollars to do an emergency power of attorney for a client if it means disrupting something I think is essential to my health and well-being.

Is your staff also off?

No, my staff is still working during this time except the office is completely closed the week of Christmas, and all staff are paid to take that week off. The staff is available the rest of the time to handle things like scheduling appointments, providing pdfs of signed documents, and other routine office matters that don’t need my personal attention. They will also catch up on things like scanning signed documents, filing, reviewing procedures and suggesting updates. These are all things they are better at handling when “the boss” isn’t around.

My staff is very well instructed not to bother me with anything unless it is an actual and true emergency where the client is willing to pay that outrageous hourly rate with a minimum of two hours. If you do call during Christmas week, please just leave a message and the staff will get back to you after they return.

While this sometimes is inconvenient for my clients (and rarely a big inconvenience), it is also the only way to make sure that we can adequately service our clients and provide the general public with good planning information for the rest of the year. In the meantime, enjoy any of your own time off this season, and we look forward to seeing you refreshed and renewed in the New Year.