As I write this, I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to work out my schedule for the next few weeks and get everything done.

We’re going on vacation—and this summer, for the first time in a very long time, we’re planning on taking two full weeks. According to Joe Robinson, only 14 percent of Americans take more than one week of vacation at a time, and only 38 percent use the vacation they have coming to them. So I guess we’re in the fortunate minority.

We’ve always been good about taking time off, but it can be really difficult to find the way to make two full weeks work. This year we decided to go all in. Our kids are getting older, and we decided we wouldn’t have too many chances left to take a big trip like this.

I’m excited to go, but it is challenging to figure out how to make it work, and I have the advantage of working for myself and having complete control over my calendar. (Of course, the downside to that is I technically don’t “get” any vacation time. If I’m not working, I’m not getting paid.) I’m saying “no” to more than a few things, I’m cutting back or deferring some income opportunities, and I’m really scrambling the last couple of weeks before I go (and probably the week after I get back) to make everything work.

But it’s totally going to be worth it.

Not only is this going to be a great chance to spend time with my family, it’s going to really help me clear my head and ultimately make me a more creative leader. We will be gone for two weeks, and we’re not going to be checking email or doing any work while we’re away … which again puts us in the minority. In 2013, 61 percent of U.S. vacationers planned on doing work while they were on vacation!

Here’s my question to you: Are you and your employees taking a real vacation this summer? It doesn’t have to be two weeks at once, but it should at least be a pretty big chunk of days—and here’s why:

1. You’ll Feel Better

Literally, stress can kill you, and if you don’t take real time off, it’s really difficult to alleviate that stress.

2. You’ll Be More Productive

In fact, you could be a lot more productive. GoHealthInsurance.com recently switched to an UNLIMITED vacation policy and saw productivity go up by 200 percent. HubSpot switched to a similar policy a couple of years ago and saw a significant spike in productivity as well.

Plus, you just need the “white space” in your life. Your ability to dream, create and come up with new ideas is 100 percent dependent on being able to stop thinking about all the fires and day-to-day issues.

3. Your Business Will Operate More Effectively

Small businesses, by design and by necessity, tend to have a handful of “key” employees (including the owner) who are the only people capable of doing the “critical business functions.” When those people go on vacation, someone else has to figure out how to get that work done. And if you’re arguing that this is exactly why you discourage vacations, you’re making a huge mistake—what are you going to do when that person quits or you get sick? At least with a planned vacation, it’s only temporary, and you’ll have time to figure out what’s needed and train for the right kinds of backup.

If it helps, think of your time off as a trial period to see how things really run without you. If you can successfully take four days off, then maybe next time you can shoot for a full week or 10 days. But unless you push the envelope and make it happen, you’re going to stay trapped by your business.

A very large percentage of business owners won’t take vacation, or they’ll squeeze in a day or two here or there, but not really get away. If that’s you, ask yourself what it would take to take a real vacation. You deserve one, and it will be good for you, both personally and professionally.