‘Tis the Season! Are you ready for the hustle and bustle of the holidays?
The holidays can be such a joyous time filled with festive music, fun parties, colorful decorations, and of course, plenty of laughter and cheer.
However, as fun and exciting the holidays can be, it can also be a very overwhelming, very busy time of year – especially for business owners. For many businesses, this fourth quarter season is a very important time and, with everything going on, it’s best to avoid Holiday Burn Out.
In a previous post, we talked about why it is so important to take time off from your business. For instance, taking time off as a business owner can help to avoid burnout, manage stress levels, and also increase creativity and productivity while at work.
“Overworking can lead to burnout. Working through burnout – depression, exhaustion, fatigue, and negativity – lowers your work performance, speed, accuracy, and your overall success. For your health and for the success of your business, we recommend avoiding burnout at all costs.”
This year, as we ease back into probably the most social Holiday Season within the last couple of years, we decided to talk about ways business owners can add REST into the next couple of months.
6 Ways Business Owners Can Incorporate Rest Into This Holiday Season
Say No to Engagements
We’re starting off big and bold with this one! Yep. We said it. You do not have to attend every single invite that you receive.
Remember, something you can never get back is your time. So use it wisely. As the schedule starts to fill and the list of demands grows, take a close look at these engagements and discern what really is a good fit for you. Respectfully decline and move on to use your time in a more fulfilling way.
Put on Your Out Of Office Notification – even if you aren’t
No shame in taking time to catch up! By occasionally putting on this message, it will take the pressure off of responding to emails immediately. That way you can prioritize the more urgent messages without feeling behind.
Limit Your Phone Time
Studies have shown that screens are very stimulating to the human brain. So it;s recommended not to look at your phone directly when you wake up or when you are about to go to sleep, as it can keep your brain overactive during your sleep cycle. In order to have a deeper, more restful sleep, it is said to limit your overall screen time and to not use your phone before or after turning in for the night.
Take Time Off
Sometimes, no matter how much you would love some time off, you feel like you can’t! It can be hard for business owners and freelancers to take time off and separate from their business. There is a lot of pressure to keep the business running as usual and, many times, business owners feel like they aren’t supposed to or that they can’t step away for a bit.
In a previous post, we talked about tips and tricks on how to set yourself up for success in taking time off from your business:
- Communicate, Cross Train, and Prioritize Protocols
- Plan Ahead
- Make a Contacts List
- Hire a Virtual Assistant
- Increase Automations, when possible
- Give Clients a Heads Up
- Take a Staycation
- Combine Work and Leisure
- Set Vacation Rules
Lay Off of Perfectionism
Let’s be honest. For most people, the Holiday Season is just plain nuts. Not just for your business, but for life too! Buying gifts, cooking sweets, the plays, the parties, the charity events… sometimes the To-Do list can feel as long as Santa’s List.
So, if life starts getting too chaotic, lay off of perfectionism and reevaluate the value of your tasks. There may be some tasks that are absolutely high priority – such as seeing your kid’s Holiday Play – versus some that could take a backseat – such as after seeing the said play, staying up 2 extra hours to bake a pie for an office party the next day, when you know a store bought pie would be perfectly fine.
In order to make the most of this holiday season, prioritize the important stuff and let the little things go.
Practice Self Care
This point covers a lot of ground considering one could consider this whole post about Self Care, but it is still worth mentioning.
Everyone practices self care differently – it could be a day at the spa, time with family, time with a TV, going for a hike, meal prepping, anything – the list could go on and on.
No matter what self care looks like for you, be sure to prioritize it this holiday season! Taking time to do things that help refuel your mind and body will only help you better show up at the times that count the most.
Need help taking time off from your business?
Let Haven help.
Don’t let running a business run your life. Haven Collective is not only a place for people to collect and get work done, it is a community that fosters professional success and personal fulfillment. With a Haven membership, you will gain access to our Resource Collection. The Resource Collection is stocked with content surrounding not only business topics, but also wellness and personal development tips. Every personal and professional development event adds to our growing collection too, so you never miss an ounce of information that could help you grow and feel more productive and fulfilled.
By joining Haven, you will commit not only to taking care of your business, but to taking care of the star of the show – YOU.
If you are looking to build your business AND prioritize your own fulfillment, click below to see if Haven Collective is the next step for you!