Owning your own business is a pretty magical thing. You get to set your own hours, call the shots, and try new things.
But it can also be a pretty stressful thing. When you're in charge, all the pressure falls onto your shoulders. You work late into the night, you worry about money, and clients are driving you crazy.
When you start noticing your focus is all on the stressful elements of owning your own business, it's time to consider taking a break.
Maybe you need to get away for a few days. Decompress. Relax.
The signs of 'I need a vacation!' can be easy to miss if you have your business blinders on and you're focused on all the tasks that need crossed off your list.
That's why today, we've put together a list of 5 signs you need a vacation from your business.
1. You feel anxious all the time
When it gets to the point where you're living with a constant sense of dread, fear, and worry, your nerves get frazzled and your relationships begin to struggle. You have a short temper and you're constantly drowning in all of your responsibilities. When this happens, you start to make more mistakes and your productivity heads on the downhill slope.
Vacation Fix: Take a few days to regroup, and then come back and put together a strategy that will help you manage your day-to-day tasks more efficiently.
2. You don't feel healthy
When you rely on coffee, sugary snacks, and fast food as your source of energy (because they're fast and give you the energy boost you need), your body suffers. Plus, when you're really, really busy, you're probably not making time to exercise either. Now you've compounded the issue and are not happy with how you look and feel.
Vacation Fix: Go on a vacation from your business and get back on track with a healthy diet and regular exercise. You could probably use a little sunshine, too.
3. You're losing clients and team members
When you see a negative trend happening (like losing clients and team members), it's time to step back and consider how you may be the source of this shift. As a business owner, you can't afford to let your company suffer just because you're in a bad place. Sure, it's easy to deny that there's a problem. But that's not going to resolve the real issue--and in the meantime, your income is under fire.
Vacation Fix: Give yourself a few days to clear your head. Get some outside perspective while you're away and come back refreshed and ready to re-start with a new attitude.
4. Work isn't inspiring anymore
When you started your business, you were passionate about your work. You were on fire! But when that zeal starts to drop off, you work suffers as a result. Your team also suffers when you're not an inspiring leader. When you find yourself dreading the workday, it's time for a vacation intervention.
Vacation Fix: Take a few days to think back on what got you excited when you first started and reflect on how you can get back to that place. Read a good book. Take a long walk. Sometimes your best ideas come when you're out of the day-to-day hustle.
5. You have trouble sleeping
When email becomes the last thing you check before bed and the first thing you look at when you wake up, work seems to creep into your dreams--when you have them. You're tossing and turning at night, thinking about all the things you didn't get done and need to do tomorrow. Lack of sleep means poor decision-making, increased irritability, and prolonged sickness.
Vacation Fix: Get away from it all with a vacation from your business where you can completely unplug and disconnect from your worries. Even if it's just a long weekend, you need to get back on a regular sleep schedule. Also, put down the smartphone and draw a line between personal time and work time.
Give yourself permission to take a vacation from your business
Not taking a vacation seems to be a common habit for entrepreneurs. In fact, one study showed that 61% of small business owners take off less than one week per year.
But the bottom line is: There's no reason to feel guilty about allowing yourself a few days to regroup.
You work hard as an entrepreneur--and you deserve a few days out of the office. Whether you take a trip somewhere or just give yourself some work-free days at home, you'll benefit from the chance to step away from your day-to-day responsibilities.
We want to hear from you: When do you know it's time to take a vacation from your business?
