Take a Break
Taking time off is as valuable and necessary as all the hard work you put into growing your business.
Feeling exhausted and depleted is not helping you, your business, or your clients. You are the best version of yourself and better equipped to serve your clients when you are rested and energized.
Resting is a big struggle for me. I’m a bit of a workaholic and I find it hard to not think about my business. But I know that if I keep going without resting, things will get messy. The last thing I want is to burnout and quit.
What I want, is to keep working, growing, and showing up. I want results. And for that, I need to learn to rest. This is why I am setting boundaries around work and rest time.
I don’t work on Saturdays. No matter what. I have to take that day for myself and give my brain a rest.
Taking one full day away from my business each week allows me to avoid burnout, and be able to look at things with fresh eyes when I get back to work.
By not working, I am actually giving myself a better chance to optimize my time when I am working. No matter how overwhelmed I think I am about everything I want to get done, I will not work on Saturdays. And I always thank myself for it on Sunday, because when I sit at my desk, I can think clearly and be excited to work.
Another boundary that’s really important for me is to take time off in the morning and the evening. I don’t look at anything related to my business, notifications, emails, analytics... before I have taken the time to wake up, journal, and drink a cup of coffee in the morning. That’s at least a good hour of taking care of myself before anything else in the morning. If I can make it two hours, that’s even better. Now, I live alone and I don’t have kids, and I can only imagine that’s not as easy to do for everyone, but try to find your own version of that. This has honeslty been one of the biggest game changer for me and the development of my activity over the past couple of years.
In the evening, I try to not work after dinner. I know, it’s hard! But I’m really trying to stick to that one, at least I don’t go on social media after dinner, I know every time I do I get sucked in for longer than I intended and I automatically regret it. Whatever is happening there can wait for the morning!
I’m better off unplugging and making an effort to not think about business.
Despite this system, sometimes I still feel like I need some extra rest. This morning I woke up feeling like I needed a whole day off. But I had some work planned, so instead of jumping into work right away, I took my time to get ready for work. I sat quietly, made some coffee, put some music on (Brandi Carlile since you’re asking) and started reading a book. Reminding myself that taking my time and thinking about something other than work, feels good and is necessary if I want to grow my business sustainably.
After that, I was able to get to work and show up as my best self to get things done. I’m learning to not obsess over the number of hours I work in a day, but to consider the quality of attention I give to what I do.
Resting became a priority.
Even when I feel like I’m “wasting my time”, I know it’s not true. I am actually doing my business a favor.
Do you give yourself enough time off? Is it hard for you to walk away from your business and think of something else? Do you have boundaries around your schedule to help you stay healthy and productive?
I encourage you to assess your current rest and work schedule and add new boundaries and routines to it if necessary. Your business and your brain will thank you for it!
You can check out my previous blog post where I talk about time management and setting boundaries around work to help you set a healthier work / rest balance!