5 Reasons you Need to Take Time off
Today I'm taking a day off and tomorrow too. It's been a while since I give myself a four day weekend. Being a business owner myself I know what it's like to feel like you can't step away from your business. I used to feel that way often times. After all, if I took time off, who would attend to my clients' needs and how could I still make money? You probably ask yourself those questions too. There are many reasons why taking time off is beneficial but let's examine my top 5.
1. I can dedicate time to my family and friends.
The #1 reason most people take the leap to work for themselves is because they wanted to be able to spend more time with their families. Ironically, being a small business owner, many times you have less time available because you are where the buck stops. We all try to make time daily to dedicate to our families but there's nothing like spending a few days enjoying each other without work interrupting the good times and memories being made. Strategically planning time off allows me to spend quality time with my loved ones. It lets me take in more of them and they get to enjoy more of me. After all, it's why I became an entrepreneur in the first place. So to me being, being able to spend quality time with them, more so than if I had to work for someone else, is a direct measure of my success.
2. It gives my brain a boost.
Many times I've been working on a project for a few hours and hit a roadblock. All of a sudden, I feel like I don't have any more ideas or I just can't figure out something. I get up and walk away and come back minutes later or put it off until the morning, to tackle after I've had good rest. You know what I find? That almost every single time when I do this, it will only take me a few minutes to complete what I was working on. Whatever block I had or issue was solved simply by letting my brain take a short break and then coming back and viewing everything with a fresh set of eyes. That's because our minds get cluttered with so much stuff that just even a small break will help us to become sharper. So imagine how thankful your brain will be when you give it a few days to get rid of the mental clutter and recoup from all the hard work. Time off will give your brain a boost. Kind of like you're supposed to let your muscles rest between work out days.
3. It helps me find inspiration.
When I take time off and go places (even if in my town) that that I don't visit on a regular basis new ideas will usually come into play. After all, you can only take so much inspiration from your regular surroundings. We often look to the internet for inspiration when we are stuck in the same place but take yourself out of that place and allow yourself to be surrounded by a new environment and new people and the sky is the limit. I have found that when I allow myself to unplug from the electronic devices and expose myself to new things I find inspiration and creativity that would have not been released otherwise. Give it a try.
4. It helps me to better grow my business.
For me, taking time off is a planned event. I make sure that I have my virtual assistants to cover my work and to ensure that all of my clients are served well. Having done this and seeing that nothing bad happened, the world didn't end because I took a day off and my business kept running smoothly, helps me to be more willing to delegate things to others so that I can focus on growing my business. I know it takes time to let others handle things in your business. I've been there and know how difficult it is to delegate but in reality, if you want to grow, you can't do everything yourself. Planning for time off and testing new people for a few days at a time has helped me to grow my team and build relationships that help me grow my business.
5. Because I deserve it.
There is not better reward for working hard than being able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. What better way to do that than to have time off and do something you really enjoy? When I take time off I feel rewarded and that motivates me. When I return from my time off I'm pumped and ready to work hard to make things happen so then eventually I can...you guessed it...take time off again. Make a plan and do
it because you deserve it. And when you are in the service industry, you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Otherwise, your energies will eventually run out and you won't be able to serve others anymore.
So make a plan today. Pick some days on the calendar, mark them off, and start planning how you
will arrange for the coverage you need to make that time off happen. If you need help covering aspects of your business while you take time off then contact me. If I'm not the right person I'll give you a good recommendation. But make sure no matter what, you take that time off. You need it and deserve it.
