The Importance of Holidays

29/08/2010

This is a really difficult subject for small businesses, simply because we don’t see how we can take holidays when we feel that making money is more important. In fact, it looks as though many small business owners will forego their holiday this year, according to the XLN Business Community website.

It’s very easy to make statements about how we can’t take time off: “Who will mind the shop?; “What will my customers think and will they go elsewhere?”; “I have to complete this order”; “I’m too busy”; “I need to win more business”; “It’s pointless taking a holiday because I can’t turn off”; “Modern communications mean I can’t take a break”. It’s as bad as the “I can’t be ill” syndrome; but we are all human and a holiday is good for us.

So, why do we small business owners need holidays? For a start, there are likely to be very few people working in your business and there may even be only you; if you don’t take breaks it can seriously affect your health – I think we already know that. But looked at another way: if your health is affected by not taking a break, what will happen to your business? Your earnings could seriously suffer over the longer term. Looked at from this perspective, we can see how important breaks are.

Now, I’m not suggesting that we all take 2 weeks off work, because I know that it’s very difficult for small business owners to do that, practically and emotionally; but I do suggest that short breaks are important because it not only gives us the opportunity to charge tired batteries, it also gives us time to reflect on the business. This does take planning, though, so have a look at what bytestart suggest to help you do this. Then, diary yourself some long weekends during the year when you can take a break (though obviously not in your busiest time). When I say a long weekend, that doesn’t have to be taken literally; it doesn’t have to be a case of tacking on a Monday or Friday to the usual weekend: try a half-day on Friday and Monday, or take a half-day during the week if you can; if your work normally includes weekends and you take 1 or 2 days off during the week, try to see if you could take a half-day over the weekend. In other words, vary your routine. Seriously, it’s just like being let out of school early!

In order to get the maximum from your holiday, you have to take charge of your electronic communications. They are the biggest barrier that I know of to taking a proper break. Now, it is important to be realistic here as I am the first to check my emails and voicemail when I take a break, but I do schedule times during the day to do it, dependant on what I plan to do that day. What is not good is checking your mobile all the time. Whenever you check it, prioritise what you find there – not everything will need to be done immediately!

If you don’t think you need a holiday, take a look at this article from MSN.nz. It may be a couple of years’ old and probably reads as though directed at people in larger companies, but it is just as relevant to SMEs.

Plan to take a break – you deserve it and you and your business will benefit from it.

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