How much vacation should a founder take?
The honest answer is more than you currently take, less than you think, and split into specific cadences. Here's what we recommend, with the data behind it.
The honest answer is more than you currently take, less than you think, and split into specific cadences. Here's what we recommend, with the data behind it.
Annually: 3-4 weeks total. Cadence: one 1-week vacation per quarter (4 weeks/year) or two 2-week vacations + a sprinkle of long weekends (4 weeks/year). Most founders take 1-2 weeks, which is below the threshold for actual recovery. The highest-performing founder-CEOs we've worked with take 4-6 weeks consistently and report better business outcomes for it.
A 1-week vacation has 5 working days off. With 3 days of wind-down, you get ~2 days of actual recovery before you fly home and start ramping back up.
This is why so many founders return from vacations 'still tired' — they were never actually recovered.
4 weeks split into 1-week-per-quarter trips gives you four 'reset' moments per year. Even if each only delivers 2-3 days of actual recovery, that's 8-12 days of real rest spread across the year — enough to prevent burnout accumulation.
Some founders prefer two 2-week trips. Equally valid. The 2-week trips produce deeper rest per trip; the 1-week trips produce more frequent reset moments. Pick what fits your business cadence.
Beyond the 4 weeks, schedule 4-6 long weekends per year (Friday-Monday off). These aren't 'vacation' but they prevent the work-week-grind from compounding.
Total time-off math: 4 weeks vacation + 6 long weekends = 5.2 weeks of off-time. About 10% of the year. Below industry average for employees in most fields.
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