Taking a break from work is important for your health and productivity but many business owners find it difficult to find the right time. Small business owners are often celebrated for wearing all the hats and logging long hours but working without giving your mind and body a break is a bad habit than can jeopardize your business, health and future goals.
Capital during the early days tends to be tight and time off may seem unproductive and money lost, but time off is well deserved and necessary to revive and get balance back in your life. We know that rest is necessary for us to function, we are just particularly bad at implementing it.
Stress can pile up, just like the work load. Planning properly for the break is the key to making it work for small business owners.
- Let your clients know your holiday break procedures. Change your email and voice mail to an out of office response. Do not check them every 5 minutes
- Set up a contingency plan. How can clients call in an emergency?
- If you still have staff working for you over the holidays, then make sure they are aware of the situations in which they can contact you. Agree on the frequency of which you can check in and the hours when they can contact you
- If you have trusted relationships with external partners, understand what is expected from each other
- Decide on how often you will check your emails and stick to it. Allocate one hour a day during family down time to respond to queries and only if they are an emergency.
Your mind and body need to be well rested so you are not overwhelmed and can focus on all aspects of your life. When we are constantly draining our resources, we are not as productive as we should be.
Many entrepreneurs start a business with the long-term goal of a lesser and flexible working schedule but get caught up in wanting control over all business operations. Accept that your business is not going to fail because you took a week off. Take a break this Christmas to spend with loved ones and reflect on what is important. A clear rested mind will give you an objective perspective on how your business is going and help you build clearer goals for the future.