Fresh from my time away over the summer holidays this year,
with my two sons. I took two weeks off
this year. I found that with such a
busy job and life, which has so many deadlines and stresses that I needed a bit
of r&r.
I found the time off rewarding as it gave me not only
special time with my sons, but a way of decompressing from what is a very busy
life.
I’ve come back to work full of energy, making a list of both
personal and business plans to see us not only to the end of this year, but a
wish list for next year too.
My garden on return had greeted me with lovely ripe produce,
vegetables and fruit, getting me in the mood for harvesting and extending the
life of the goods with preserving. It
reminded me of what I need to do with my business and life too.
Feed it to preserve it for the future.
We’re currently invested in marketing and have a consultant
helping us get those jobs off the desk that we have been putting off. Introducing us to new ideas and retrying
ideas we haven’t tried for a while. The
market has moved so much with the huge amount of legislation we all have to
follow, the banks not being as helpful as they could be, and governments generally
coming across as clueless of how to move our country forward.
Basically, it’s all in our own hands, if we are going to
make it, it will be down to our working through ideas and plans and making it
happen for ourselves. Nobody is going to
hand it to us on a plate. Although that
would be very nice.
I talk to business owners all the time and quite a few as
its so up and down with getting work in, that they maybe not be taking the
breaks they need, to maintain motivation and energy levels that they might have
had when they started.
I find that having that break away, apart from giving me
that time away to give me the revitalised energy levels back. It allows me to focus on what is important
and get work done that gives value not just to the clients but to me also.
I always find creating a wish list both personal and
business really helps me focus on getting things done that provide me with
reward and motivation. It’s so easy to
get lost in the noise of the day-to-day activities, we often forget why we're in
business at all.
If you can take anything from this, always take your
breaks. Your sleep patterns should
return, you will have more energy and definitely be more focused. We all need this to keep our health in good
order.
Not taking time off is one of the biggest reasons company
owners give up self-employment, they suffer burn out. Don’t let that be you.
I also find that having a hobby for when you’re not in work
helps too. Something to allow you to
decompress after a long day. Whether
that be art, gardening, going for a two-mile walk. Whatever you like, it can be anything. Enjoy the life you have, its all in your own hands.
