The most important time in your business is the time you take away from your business. Call it what you want — vacation, holiday, retreat, getaway — but the longer you stay away, the better you and (probably) your business will be.
There is a certain serenity in being away from your business: It clears your head, your mind, and, if you eat right, your body. Where you go, what you do and who you do it with can definitely set the tone. I have found traveling by myself can enhance this experience. I go for a minimum of one week, though I have gone for much longer. I choose places where people’s attitudes are important and areas out of my comfort zone (I didn’t say safety zone).
Here is the funny thing about it: Everywhere I go on vacation — at the coffee shop, getting a foot massage, scuba diving — I network with more people than if I were home. Whatever you like to do, go do it and meet new people, have new adventures and most importantly,
learn new things. You will bring back a clear mind, a clear head, new ideas for you and your business, and maybe even new opportunities.
I use my email address just for these ideas. When I have them, I send a quick email to myself, then let it go. It’s written down so I won’t forget, and I can go on with the adventure.
Most business owners don’t know how to take a vacation, which has become one of the many tools I teach in one of our courses. People get so caught up that they often forget about vacation. “The business can’t survive without me,” they think. “I have to be there, right?”
But wait: Wasn’t this one of the reasons you got into business in the first place? So you could work all the time? I don’t think so. And I assure you, it can be changed. I walk owners through this process all the time. I enjoy watching the resistance fall away as they realize how easy it is to have a life and enjoy your business again.
I am about teaching tools — not rhetoric: Start with a blank calendar for the year. Here is how we are going to fill it out:
1. Write in the time slot when you are going to take vacation. (Note: A weekend is not a vacation; that is a weekend getaway, which you should be doing too.)
2. Write in your anniversary, family birthdays, holidays (yes, you should be taking those off, too), kids’ school events. You get the school calendar early in the year, so that’s an easy one. Work is last. Yes, last, on this list. Once you start planning your life, the leftover time is your time to meet clients, and plan projects and sales. When you’ve put this plan into motion, you may realize much of the time you used to spend at work was wasted. With a life plan versus a business plan, you are playing in your nine-hole golf league or going to your son’s baseball game. Start living the life you got into business to live.
