About 6 months ago, I was burnt out. I hadn’t had a vacation in 3 years. I mean a real vacation where I go off and do nothing for about 2 weeks! My every waking moment was spent trying to come up with this new idea or that budding project.
This is a similar tale to most of the business owners out there. Their entire livelihood rests on what kind of money their businesses bring in. It isn’t like they get a paycheck every week that makes up for time off or lost hours in the day.
So the result is an overworked, stressed out person who never really performs at their peak – but is always performing!
Over the course of about a month, I put myself on a 5 step plan that has worked wonders in my life. And below, I’m going to outline the process for you:
- Get a personal cell phone
Get a cell phone that only your family and friends has access to. That doesn’t include people you work with. The fewer people, the better.
- Set aside time Friday night or Saturday morning to review
In school, you take tests. The professor teaches you what you need to know and then quizzes you on the material. Do you do something similar in your own life?
I would be the answer is no. Every day you are learning. The only way to retain that knowledge is to ponder it and save it in your long term memory. And the best way to do that is to take an hour or so and review the week. Think about all the trials and tribulations and write them down.
- Take weekends off!
Learn that weekends are sacred things. If you go to church, then go to church. But don’t work. Do yard work. Clean the house. Play with the kids or the dogs. Learn something or read a book. Stay away from the stuff you do during the week.
You’ll end up realizing that when you go back on Monday, you see things in a different light. Things will be newer; fresher. You’ll be able to handle situations differently.
The end result is you will be happier. You’re family will be happier. And you will learn more and grow more. Will you make less money by not working weekends or not following up on that lead you got late Saturday evening? Maybe..
But if your prospective clients doesn’t realize that you need time off to – do you really want to be working with them?
JD
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Jason,
Thanks for the post. I think all three are definitely key; however, I wanted to highlight taking weekends off. This is vital to not become a total workaholic and consuming one’s life only with work. You only have one life to live, make sure to take some time to sit back and enjoy life. This also serves to clear one’s head from work.
You are absolutely right.. I have to admit, I didn’t start enjoying life and the people around me until I learned to sit back on Saturday and Sunday. Now, that time is filled in with projects around the house and family time – but I wouldn’t trade it for ANYTHING in the world!