The sun is shining and the office is no one’s favourite place to be right now. As a business owner, it’s often difficult to step away and take a break. However, taking a well-deserved break is really important for yourself personally and also for the health of your business.
Now is the perfect time of year to get away from the office for a bit of me-time. Not convinced? Here are some reasons to take a break:
It’s your quiet season
For some businesses summer is their quiet season so it makes sense to take a holiday now.
The office feels a little emptier because people are on holiday or they’re looking after kids during the summer break.
You may believe this is the worst time to step away as the business needs all the help it can get. However, if business naturally quietens down during this time of year as it does for many, there’s no reason why you can’t have a break.
If summer is your busy period, then make sure you’re booking some time off in autumn or winter to help you relax after a busy few months.
Inspiration
Something about experiencing a new place or culture can be just the thing to inspire you. It can clear your mind of creative blocks so that when you return to business, you’ve got more ideas on what to do next.
Time to think
Having time away from management duties, phone calls and emails can help your mind reset. Concentrating too much on your business, day in, day out can make your mind stagnate. A break means you’ll return to work with a fresh head and new ideas.
Force yourself to delegate
Having trouble delegating is a really common problem in businesses. It’s hard to let go of certain tasks if you built your business up by mucking in and doing a bit of everything.
However, not delegating can lead to resentment among employees who feel they’re not being trusted to do their own jobs. Taking a trip away is the perfect opportunity to learn some delegation that you can apply in the future for the benefit of your business.
De-stress
Being a business owner isn’t exactly a smooth ride. You’ve got the stress of keeping up with the competition, meeting customer needs, sorting complaints out and knowing that all your staff depend on you and your decisions.
Having a holiday and spending some time just relaxing is important so you don’t end up burnt out. When stress piles on top of more stress, it makes it difficult to make good decisions and work to the best of your ability.
While taking a holiday is a good idea for entrepreneurs, don’t fall into the same trap as many do and continue working. Working on a beach might be preferable but you’re not really getting away from the office if you’re still micromanaging from afar.
It doesn’t allow you to relax or de-stress it just allows you to remain stressed in another place. So put down the phone and set yourself some boundaries, you’ll thank yourself later.
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