Booking in your Break
Because if you don’t…you will!
It’s midsummer and at Athena we are loving the long days and the weekends…even when we sometimes have to spend time working those weekends. This usually means a photoshoot somewhere gorgeous, or if not quite gorgeous, interesting, if you are Jessica. And if you happen to play bass in a punk band, then it sometimes means spending those long days in a recording studio, which was David’s fate this midsummer weekend, and he loved it.
The problem is, summer can be just as intense for workflows as any other time of the year. The sunshine lingering long into the evening may make you want to slow down and enjoy the beauty and colour of the season, but many of our clients are anxiously trying to meet deadlines before they break up for summer holidays, if they allow themselves to take any, that is.
Which brings me to the point of this post. When you’re the owner of a small business, especially if you are on your own with no team around you and no tangible support, you need a summer break even more than most. We know you are unlikely to have taken a break since Christmas, if you took a break then, and as things hot up for the summer (because the chances are your clients are also wanting to apply deadlines that peak just before the schools break up) the pressure is on you. Or, if you have a small creative business, those craft fairs are mounting up, you have inventory to keep up to date, the books to update and the heat really is on.
The dedication is admirable - it’s what makes business owners those strong, unique, determined people we so admire - but there is a very fine line between dedication and burnout and the risk of stepping across it is very real. Your business will not crumble without you, but it will collapse if you crumble. If you find that you are so worried about your business not being able to manage without your presence even for a week, then you really are in need of a holiday, if only so you can use that break to give some serious thought to how you can return to restructure what you do so that you can have breaks.
A holiday (vacation if you are reading this from USA) is crucial to stay well and strong, mentally and physically. If you are constantly working and living on the edge of your nerves, surviving on coffee and adrenalin to deal with overwork, then your productivity will eventually drop because living and working at that level is unsustainable. Worst of all, not only will your business suffer but you could end up developing serious health issues, and no-one wants any of that! Pausing in the usual routine, taking a break, disconnecting from the daily grind however much you love your work, allows your brain to resent. Being away, in particular, as in, physically away, in a different place, different country, can give you time and space to find fresh perspectives from which to view the challenges you are facing. Time out is not just about rest, it’s about creating space for new ideas and fresh solutions, to dream up innovations, to expand personally. How many times have you been stuck on a problem only for the answer to pop into your head when doing something completely unrelated? Your brain can sometimes do its best, most creative work when relaxed.
There’s another plus to having a holiday; a break can reignite your passion for your business. We are pretty convinced that the reason you started your business was not to be chained to your computer and your phone 24/7, but completely the opposite. Going on a summer break will help you reconnect with your personal life, your family, your hobbies, your self. You’ll come back refreshed, maybe tanned, maybe fitter and definitely re-energised and more motivated. You’ll probably also have dreamed up a new venture or an add-on service and found an answer to that tricky issue your best client has asked you for help with.
But we get that you are worried about leaving things behind. What if you get your best offer yet and you’re not at your desk to say ‘yes’? What if the paperwork is so piled up on your return you never see your desk again? What if there are emails in your in-box demanding answers to emails sent only hours before but you weren’t around to see them? We suggest three things:
anticipate and prepare - just remember that the unexpected will happen anyway, whether you are at your desk or not
tell your clients - everyone respects the business owner and service provider that is open and honest about their time and their own needs, and, if they are not willing to respect that you also have a life as well as providing them a service, then maybe you don’t need them in your life at all…and put an out of office message on your emails…
Set up a contingency for emergencies and delegate - if you have a team, delegate and leave clear instructions and if you don’t have a team, delegate to Athena; we are designed to help you with your business, even on the short term one-off occasion when you need a holiday. Just nip a note in the contact page and we’ll get right back to you.
So don’t wait a second longer and book that trip!
Or, if the time is not quite right and the bank balance not quite ready for a trip away, how about a staycation where you truly totally unplug and prioritise your well-being. After all, a healthy business is built on a healthy, thriving and enthusiastic owner.
