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John Pyron, the Business Doctor

4 Ways to Take Time Off During the Holidays as a Small Business Owner

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As a small business owner, you may think you can’t afford to take time off for the holidays. All work and no play, however, could cause you to feel stressed out, undermining the quality of your work. As the boss, you need to take regular breaks for rest and recuperation from your busy schedule. The following tips can help you get the rest you need without compromising your business.

Plan Your Holiday Break in Advance

Plan for your holidays in advance. Mark your calendar, inform your crew and start checking off items on your to-do list to complete before you take off. Identify potential problems that could arise during the time you’re gone and take care of them in advance so you can enjoy your holidays to the full. Put procedures in place to help your business run smoothly to include authorizing someone to make key decisions during your absence. Most of all, be sure to let your clients know that you will be on break, how long you will be gone, and who they can contact in case of an “emergency.”

Be Willing to Let Some Things Go

In order to take a break for the holidays, you may need to put some things on hold. You can’t expect to do everything before you go. Focus on the most essential tasks, i.e. payroll, outstanding invoices, customer orders, etc., and put nonessential tasks, such as cleaning out your desk, on hold. Some things can simply wait until later without causing your business to suffer. You may discover that many of your clients are taking time off for the holidays as well and have no qualms about scheduling appointments at a later date.

Trust Your Crew to Carry On

If you’ve trained your team right, you should have no trouble trusting them to carry on while you are gone. A good crew will carry out their responsibilities whether you’re there or not. Make sure your team knows who’s in charge while you’re gone so they can approach him or her with questions or issues that may arise in your absence. You should also leave a phone number or email where you can be reached in case of emergencies.

Take an Actual Break

Most important to your rest and recuperation is that you take and ACTUAL break. That means, do not check emails or call your staff several times a day to check in. Do not receive client calls or emails. Do not check any of your business systems, reports, or dashboards online. You may wish to use this time to generate ideas and goals for the upcoming year and that is fine, just be sure to distance yourself from the business for at least a day or two so you can truly come back with renewed vigor.

By following these steps, you can look forward to a more peaceful and relaxing holiday season.

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