Is It Time For Time Out?

Why do we feel so damn guilty for taking any time off work??

I often joke about winning the Lotto and being on permanent holiday, but the truth is, I love what I do. ?But planning time off used to be something I struggled with.

I think it has something to do with our levels of stress and the need to survive. For many of us, going to work is the same as surviving. So when we miss a few days of work, even for something like a holiday, our survival instincts kick-in and we automatically feel stressed. And guilty!

Starting right now, I want to normalise taking time off. Having some time out. Away from work. And NOT feeling guilty!

For me this has been an absolute game changer. So this week, I have some tips in The Lever on how to make that happen.

1 FACT:

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” ?

~ Anne Lamott

1 TIP:

Here are 5 steps to help you take time off from your business without feeling stressed and anxious: ?

1. Make a plan.?Schedule your time off weeks (or even months) in advance, and tell everyone about it. Make sure you have a back-up plan – someone on your team, a VA or VBM who understands your business and can step in to keep things running smoothly while you’re away. ?

2. Delegate or postpone.?For every task, including your ordinary day-to-day responsibilities and any emergency situations that could pop up while you're away, decide whether to delegate or postpone your action. ?

3. Disconnect.?When you’re on holiday turn off your phone, disconnect your internet and avoid using any of your gadgets if you can. ?

4. Establish "worry time."?If you can’t fully disconnect, set a period of time each day as your "worry time," to check your emails and check in with your business. ?

5. Practice and scale.?If you’re someone who can’t take a truly relaxing, worry-free holiday, practice by taking a half-day off, then scale up to a full day and so on, following all the above rules.

1 TOOL:

Something else that helps keep business running smoothly while you’re not around is ensuring your systems, procedures and processes are documented and saved in a central, online location that your team can access in your absence. ?

Grab 4 Free Examples Of Procedures (SOP) Here and hit reply if you’d like some help getting your systems, procedures and processes set up.

1 QUESTION:

What are some of the things you do to ensure you get time off from your business?

1 ACTION: ?

Get your calendar out and diarise at least one break sometime this year. Whether it’s a half day, a full day or a few days, start planning to make it happen.

Let's chat about how we can help you!