Want to avoid burnout? Make sure to include this in your next annual plan.

When was the last time you took a vacation? Not a day off or a getaway weekend, but an extended time away from your business?

Is it hard to remember or a distant memory? 

You're not alone. 

The number one sacrifice small business owners make each year is not taking a vacation. 

More than half (60%) only take one vacation per year; nearly one quarter (23%) take fewer than two vacation days annually. 

When they do go on vacation, more than 75% still work. 

No wonder small business owners are burning out. 

Time for rest, recuperation, and pleasure isn't on the calendar.

The first question I ask when starting the annual planning process with a client is: 

“What vacations or time off do you have planned for your year?” 

If it’s a new client, I am usually met with wide eyes and silence, followed by the myriad of reasons why time away hasn’t been a priority. 

My seasoned clients know that in order to be Your Best Self Doing Your Best Work, you need to schedule yourself first. 

This includes scheduling your downtime throughout the year.

And....if you're used to scheduling the standard week of vacation, I encourage you to increase your time away. 

Why? Because as the business owner, you need more time for rest and reflection, based on your position and your workload. 

Not taking time off can lead to overwhelm which can hinder your ability to think clearly and grow your business. 

This year, include in your annual plan a minimum of four weeks of vacation time, a week each quarter to recoup and regroup. 

Besides giving yourself the gift of rest, relaxation, and refueling; the benefits of time off allow you to up your leadership skills. 

With adequate downtime you achieve: 

🥰 Increased focus & clarity: Your brain is like a muscle and can “fatigue” with overuse. You need rest times for your mind, like you need to have “rest days” when working out.

🥰 Increased creativity: Innovative thinking doesn’t happen when you are punishing yourself by overworking. Remember the saying, “Rest nurtures creativity, which nurtures activity. Activity nurtures rest, which sustains creativity. Each draws from and contributes to the other.”

🥰 Increased capacity for decision making: The best decisions when you are rested, nourished, and in “wise-mind” (good emotional space). Conversely, you are at risk for making poor decisions when you are overdoing it. Taking time off gives you the recovery you need for the challenges that come with entrepreneurship.

🥰  Increased immunity: Burning the candle at both ends and lack of sleep generally guarantees that you will end up with a cold, flu, or feeling blah. By activating your parasympathetic nervous system with self-care activities and rest, you boost your body's “immune capacity”.

🥰 Increased space for assessing your course:  Stop and look at the “big picture”. Taking a break gives you the space to assess your plans and make adjustments as necessary. Without taking the time to reflect, you run the risk of maintaining work habits or structures that aren’t actually making you more efficient.

By scheduling yourself first and taking time off, you’ll come back with renewed energy, creativity, and increased capacity for growing or scaling your business.

💕, Jordan 

Hi there! I’m Jordan Eades, Holistic Business Coach and founder of Your Best Business LIfe. My passion is guiding women business owners who want to make a big impact in business—without sacrificing what matters most. 

Your Best Business Life coaching provides the keys to overcoming overworking; allowing you to create a sustainable and profitable business, focus on the work that fuels your passion, unapologetically invest in self-care, prioritize experiences that light you up, and provide the support you need to thrive.