As I write this in the month of August I feel it appropriate to raise the point of taking time out from your business.
Surprisingly most business owners don’t take enough regular holidays (notice the plural). And this goes beyond the traditional annual 2 weeks in the sun, after all you don’t have to go abroad to be on holiday!
Aside from the obvious rest and recuperation and of course spending quality time with your family, taking regular breaks from your business will provide you with fresh perspective.
In my years working with business owners I’ve heard just about all the excuses there is as to why they felt they couldn’t take time off. Believe me; no business owner is too busy to leave their business for a short while. The real problem is they haven’t set up their business systems or personnel effectively enough to enable them to take holidays. Or there may be another underlying reason which is usually associated with the ‘letting go’ process. You may have experienced it yourself where you’re so wrapped up in your business you wonder how it will survive without you – but it will.
Take Time Off To Grow Your Business!
The fresh perspective you gain from regular breaks can actually help you grow your business in less time than you’re working now. It’s a myth the harder you work, the more you get done, it often only serves to exhaust you and hinder success.
Here’s a great way to make sure you always stay focused and refreshed in your business.
Every 90 days take time off! For most this is unheard of but it doesn’t have to be a lengthy holiday, it could be just a long weekend (which means you’d only take 2 not 4 days out of the working week, depending on your business). The importance is that you disconnect from everything to do with business, you don’t think about it, talk about it and unless an absolute emergency (which rarely there is) you don’t even check your emails! The world won’t end because you’re not working for a few days and it could save a lot more than you realise.
On your return you’ll be unstoppable with ideas, energy and a renewed passion for moving your business forward.
Treat any time out of your business as an appointment or deadline that can’t be moved, postponed or cancelled – it must go ahead! It must be planned well in advance and that’s why the 90 day rule works so well. You have plenty of time to schedule your work to fit within that time and equally no surprises when it comes to time off, because it’s been in your diary for months!