I'm a firm believer in the need to take time off from work to recharge. Unfortunately, I rarely do it. When you're running a startup, the last thing you feel you can do is step away from the computer and pervasive mobile device to literally disconnect.

But is it possible to actually plan a workcation? And what skills must you hone to do it right?

"The most important skill is what I like to call 'flipping the switch,'" says Nicole Boom, 37, founder and CEO of SkirtSports Inc. in Boulder, Colo. "To really enjoy the vacation part, you need to be able to turn off your work brain and learn how to relax."

On the flip side, says Boom, if you don't have trouble relaxing, you should seek out a place where you can actually focus on your work effectively when you need to.

When Boom's husband, Tim, was competing in the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in Kona, Boom said it was important for her to attend the event to support his career. Two weeks away from the office, however, was going to be a challenge. The couple discussed combining work and leisure before embarking on the trip.

"My work station was outdoors on the lanai--patio--overlooking the golf course, with a lovely ocean view and palm trees. It was a comfortable, relaxing space and free of distractions," Boom recalls.

The seven-hour time difference helped Boom parcel out her time for work vs. fun. By 1 p.m. in Kona, business hours were over on the mainland, so she could manage two distinct time frames--work in the morning going over e-mails, making calls, reviewing design work--and then vacation in the afternoon. Because of the nature of her business, she was also able to wear-test her company's products while running and swimming--with dolphins no less--in spring 2010 prototypes before they were approved for final production. She also spent time at an expo with retailers to build relationships and promote SkirtSports to the participants and attendees at the race.

Lucinda Holt, 46, was in the middle of negotiating a venture capital round for her company ClickEquations as her family's annual two-week summer vacation in Cape Cod approached. Holt's husband was understanding about the workcation arrangement because, as a stay-at-home dad, he's used to being the primary caretaker. So he was able to take their daughters out to keep them busy while mom worked. Because he also has worked in startups, he understood what was at stake.

Holt's daughters, 5 and 8, were a little less enthralled with the idea that their mom couldn't always go to the beach with them.

Says Holt, "The critical elements of making this workcation fun and productive were setting everyone's expectations and putting the right infrastructure in place."

In return for the quiet work time, Holt made a point of going biking with her husband or spending some time in a local coffee shop with him.

She told all of her work colleagues--including investors and lawyers--about her vacation and tried to concentrate on work in the morning or late afternoon.

Discipline is key to making a workcation work, Holt says.

"The hardest thing is to leave the work behind and really relax. And [you need] a family that is understanding. If your family isn't ready, willing or able to give you the time and space to work, you'll have a problem."

Lesley Hatfield, 39, admits that she doesn't believe there is ever true balance in the life of a working mom.

"That doesn't sound very 'Zen-like' of me, but I feel something always demands more attention; your family or your work. The same applies to workcation," she explains. "There are times that you just have to say, 'No. Right now I am going to turn off the phone, the BlackBerry and the computer, and be with my family.' Your children are only little once. No one has ever said at the end of their life that they wished they had worked more."

Hatfield has scheduled workcations around work-related activities for her company NiteSweatz, such as trade shows and television appearances. Her family has also scheduled what it calls "family emergency time" when work overtakes their personal lives and the family's well-being requires her to take a break and reconnect.

"Without a supportive husband, workcations would probably be almost impossible. We have just decided that it works better for all of us to be together rather than apart, especially when I am on the road for a week or more," Hatfield says.

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