During the holidays, employees take vacations, other business owners stop working and things kind of grind to a halt. But just because there’s a slowdown, it doesn’t mean work has to stop entirely. Successful entrepreneurs understand there’s a balance that can be reached between taking some time off and working enough to make sure your business isn’t starting from a stop in January.
It’s the Holidays Take Time Off
This needs to be the first t mg you think about during the holidays. Successful entrepreneurs understand that time off is good for you mentally and physically and that’s good for your business.
According to Allina Health, taking time off every two years will help decrease your risk of coronary heart disease and heart attacks. What’s more, “Neuroscientists have found that brain structure is altered by chronic exposure to the stress hormone cortisol, which can be a major contributing factor to anxiety and depression. Feelings of calm arise from time away from work and relieve stress, which allows the body and mind to heal in ways that it couldn’t if it were still under pressure.”
The benefits will show through in your work. People who take time off come back refreshed with improved familial relationships and increased mental health.
Plus, getting away from the office for a little while sometimes helps those creative juices flow.
Skip the Guilt for the Holidays
a business owner, you work very hard, so skip the guilt that you feel from taking some time off. You’ve earned it. As I said before, seasoned entrepreneurs understand the need for a balance between work and play. The best way to create that balance is to schedule your time off and your work time. That way, you can enjoy your time off guilt-free because you know when it’s time, you’ll get right back to work.
Spread the Holiday Joy
The holidays offer you an opportunity to show your employees you’re thankful for them and to show your clients you appreciate their business.
Show your employees that you value them by giving them time off and possibly a holiday gift. Let them know that their hard work is appreciated and show them that you understand they need to recharge and spend time with their families. Just like you’ll come back from vacation refreshed and in a better mental state, so will your employees.
When it comes to clients, let them know that they’re more than just a payday. Show them that you’re thinking about them, their needs and their likes. The holidays are the perfect time to tell them thank you. You can do that through a gift, a card or even a thoughtfully written out email.
Strategic Holiday Planning
Just because the business involving clients has slowed down, it doesn’t mean you can’t get things done. The holidays are a perfect time for strategic planning. It’s the best time to work on your short-term and long-term goals for your business in 2020 and figure out the steps you’re going to take to get there.
When you have a strategic plan in place, then you won’t have to scramble for a direction in the spring when business starts picking up again.
There Are Things You Can’t Control Especially at the Holidays
Sometimes as a small business owner, it’s impossible to force business to appear. Some businesses just naturally have a slump during the holidays and that’s okay. You can’t control it.
What you can control is what you do in the downtime. Take some time to recharge so you’re ready for that January push and do the work to prepare your business for the time that business picks up again.
For some great tips on how to give back for the holidays, check out this post.
Written by Erika Towne
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