Yesterday I asked you how organized your business was. Did you consider your answer? Today I'll share a thought on how you can move yourself to a business more organized. Take Care of Yourself.
Take Care of Yourself
Burn out is easy to achieve when you run a small business. Make sure that you take time for yourself. The most successful business owners ensure that they take vacations and time off to “recharge.”
Are you saying to yourself “How can I take time off? There is too much to do!!” True, every business owner has more than enough things to do and the list never ends. However, do you get the feeling that things are stagnant? Is output the same all of the time or is it growing?
As a recovering work-a-holic, I have had hard times taking vacation time or relaxation time myself. When I left my corporate job (before Calahan Solutions) I had over 2.5 weeks of vacation that had rolled from year to year.
A good friend and mentor, however, told me that I was not going to be able to grow my business if I kept up that “crazy” timing. He reminded me that my business was largely creative and involved out-of-the-box thinking. If you don't give your brain and body time to recharge, the things you come up with are not nearly as good.
Since I received that hard message (essentially he said that I was not as serious about my business unless I gave everything I could for great ideas — including rest) I have practiced what I was taught and have taught it to clients too. Some of my best ideas pop into my mind when I am either relaxing or have come back from a break. By giving my mind time to focus in a different way, it energizes and inspires me!
So how do I take time for me? I do a lot of different things. They are things that work for me. I suggest that you find what works for you too!
- I play with my son and read to him – we laugh a LOT — laughter is a great de-stress for me.
- I play with my puppy (he turned 2 this month) I get really excited when I see that he has been able to complete a new trick successfully.
- I go to my NAWBO activities — the National Association of Woman Business Owners. I build relationships with other woman business owners that are there for me when I need help.
- I go fishing with my dad.
- I read a great book.
- I go on weekend trips.
- etc.
How Organized is Your Business? Multi-Part Series
Part 1 – How Organized is Your Business
Part 2 – Develop a Team!
Part 3 – Write Your Processes Down
When was the last time that you took time for yourself? What do you to recharge? Do you agree with what I said? If not, why? Let us know by commenting below in the blog comment section.
To your success!
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