Driven entrepreneurs tend to develop tunnel vision in pursuing their goals. As the business grows, opportunities as well as challenges naturally arise. The fact is, there’s never going to be a time of inactivity in a business. It will always require time, resources and hard work, and there will always be yet another problem. Opportunities will come and go. Such is the life of an entrepreneur.

This holiday season, taking a break and spending some time away from your business might seem impossible. Worse still, it might not even have crossed your mind.  But  instead of looking for reasons NOT to take a break this holiday season, consider this;  timeout is not only good for you but also for your business and employees.

So, like any good management consultant, I urge you to take on board these reasons why taking  a break is beneficial in the long run.

Boost Creativity

Inspiration can come from anywhere, but sometimes it needs room to bloom. While working intently on your operations will keep you connected to the detail, disconnecting, even for a short time, can help spark creativity. There’s plenty of evidence from researchers and psychologists that the rejuvenating effects of a holiday can help  entrepreneurs and their teams come up with creative solutions more quickly. While you’re relaxing, your subconscious is still ticking away, devising creative means of addressing problems. By moving away from the operations, your brain gets time off and moves on to big-picture thinking.

Burnout and Stress have Real Impacts

Taking breaks from all the stress and pressure can go a long way toward preserving your mental and physical health. Aside from giving you the time to consult a doctor or a therapist, vacations let you chill out for a bit and revitalise your system. As you probably already know (and yet brush off), stress is a major factor that affects cardiovascular and cerebral health. Holidays, aside from normalising your stress levels, give you opportunities to make lifestyle changes that would be beneficial to you and your business in the long term.

Acid test for your processes

We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: If your business needs you to be there 24/7, you’re not working on your business, you’re working in it. Don’t be a slave to your own business. Let the processes and operations handle things while you’re away. Thinking that your company can run itself and actually seeing it function without you are completely different things.

Taking a holiday can give you a detached, objective view on how your business is performing. Are the processes you have in place working? What aspects of your business need improvement? On the other hand, some time away can also let your employees, processes and operating procedures shine. That’s a huge payoff in peace of mind alone.

Work-life Balance

Set the right example for your employees. Let them know that taking a holiday is encouraged in your business. True productivity isn’t just about churning out work and logging in hours; it’s about contributing outstanding work to the company while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

And finally, don’t cheat on your break  by frequently checking in or working from home. Understand that there should be a boundary between your work and your personal life. For your sake (as well as your family and friends), live a life outside your work from time to time. We guarantee it’s a win win all round!

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