Why You Need a Day Off

Today marks the 7th month of an experiment I took last year to give myself more time to enjoy my business. Every month on the 14th I take the whole day off – no appointments, no work scheduled – and do whatever I want. I’ve visited San Francisco and New York City, Miami and even locally around my own small town. Some months I spend time with family and other months I’m jet setting. Today, when this post goes live I won’t be queuing it or tweeting or writing Facebook posts but all of those things will happen anyway. If you’ve found yourself struggling with life/work balance, constantly overwhelmed by the amount of work to be done, stressing about money, tired of “catching up” and wondering if you could stand one more networking event then it’s time for you to take time off. Benefit #1 of a regular day off – when time constricts productivity increases. When you know you’re taking a day off without your computer handy for last minute changes, edits and instructions for your team, then you’ll focus beforehand to ensure everything is completed. Remember working that old desk job? If you were like most workers productivity soared right before vacation and again after you got back as work was caught up. Benefit #2 of a regular day off – time to relax without commitments. Personally, I love to travel so planning a trip to coincide with my day off is fun, not work. But you can spend the whole day in bed reading, or at the beach surfing, maybe watching trashy TV or volunteering. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you spend the time feeding your soul. You know, enjoying the time that you can take off because you’re living a life that few get to experience. “But I can’t take time off, I’m too busy/poor/needed” I get it, a dozen excuses run through your head when I ask you to put down the iPhone and back away slowly. So here are my responses to the top 3 excuses you’ll come up with:

1. You’re not too busy, you need balance. I’d bet that given a 30 minute call and I could identify 2-3 hours of busy work you do every single week that should be automated or outsourced. That’s wasted time. Give up the glorification of “busy” and get back to the important stuff.
2. If you’re struggling with income then you may not need to hound your leads further, you need a little distance and perspective. Ask yourself what your clients really need and spend a day reflecting on how you can refine your approach. Taking a break is not just for those entrepreneurs who have made their millions – you need and deserve a break too!
3. It’s not as much fun to say this politely so I’m just going to say it. If your team can’t survive a day without you then they are freakin’ worthless. You’re not a babysitter and if you’ve hired a team who can’t think for themselves or have no systems to follow, then something has to change. Remember that your team is there to support you, not to be a constant drain on your time by asking “what do I do now?” or “show me how to do this again?”

It doesn’t happen overnight so begin by planning a day off in the next few weeks and enjoy that time to relax, get reinvigorated and appreciate your business again.