Running a business is stressful, and every body needs a break once in awhile. Taking vacations is not only essential for your health but also for the health of your relationships and personal life. You’ll work better, smarter, more productively and more creatively if you make sure to take a break on a regular basis. Here are four reasons why you should go on a vacation at least once a year.
Brainstorm new ideas
When you’re stuck in the daily grind, it can be easy to sink into the routine of day-to-day business. But if you don’t look up, you can easily let months slip by without even realising it. Time flies when you’ve got your head down and you’re working hard.
Taking a vacation from your business allows you to get out of daily processes and to free up your mind so you can think about new ideas instead. Take a breather and allow your mind to expand. Book yourself into a fancy hotel with soft white duvet covers, fluffy pillows and a view out to the ocean. Spend some quality time with friends and family and chat about anything other than work.
Enjoy the benefits of your hard work
Being a business owner comes with some serious perks – like a flexible schedule, opportunities to grow profits, and, well, being able to call the shots. But so many business owners forget that they can actually take time off for a vacation and enjoy those perks. Taking a vacation means that you’re blocking out time to actually enjoy yourself and your life as a business owner. Allowing yourself to do this keeps you from being resentful and burned out and ultimately ending up hating your job. Vacationing is a helpful reminder that your hard work is all for good reason.
Improve productivity upon return
Vacations will help you maintain a happy, healthy outlook on life – which in turn, boosts productivity. It’s directly connected with a happy, more satisfying life – so why deprive yourself of those positive side effects? Try to schedule at least one vacation per year, and when you’re away, shut yourself off from daily business-related thoughts. You might have some ideas on the back-burner, but for the most part, this should be a time for you to disconnect and recharge your mental batteries.
Show your team that you trust them
Taking a vacation also shows your team that you trust their skills and abilities while you’re out of the office. If you’ve trained them well, stepping away for a few days shouldn't be a problem – and for your staff, it’s a chance to demonstrate to you that they have everything under control. Let your employees prove that they can manage without you, and show them that you trust them too.
While you’re away, make sure you have clear boundaries in place that allow you to actually enjoy your vacation. Let your team know what qualifies as a reason to get in touch with you, and whether or not you’ll have access to email. You can given go as far as putting an "out of office" setting on your emails. Doing this will help your team work together instead of against each other, and it’s also an opportunity for someone to demonstrate their leadership abilities.
