The Importance of Taking Time Off

Luke and I started Blue Ivory Creative a year and a half ago and, as most new small business owners experience, we spent almost every second planning, working, talking to clients, setting goals, figuring out finances, making sales etc. Even meals turned into discussion about our company, simply because we love what we do. I don’t think we took more than a day off at a time since we founded our company.

Then came the week of our wedding. I had a million things to do, from figuring out music playlists to writing our vows to nailing down decorations to finding someone to make our cake at the last second – we had many, many things go wrong which somehow led to an absolutely beautiful wedding. Plus, I had family in town on both sides that were expecting me to spend time with them, since many of them had traveled hours for the wedding. On top of all of that, I was working on several websites and trying to finalize a proposal for other potential clients. I was losing my mind.

So, two days before our wedding, we shut everything down. We explained the situation to all of our clients, who very generously understood, and then closed our email and turned off our phones. We stopped everything for 10 days, which really allowed us to take a deep breath, take everything in, and enjoy our wedding and honeymoon.

I’ll be honest. At the beginning it was terrifying. But we very quickly realized that it was one of the best decisions we’ve made. While we were starting to get overwhelmed, stressed and burned out, we returned rested and itching to get back to work. By the end of our honeymoon, we were excited about what we were doing again!

So, clearly, there are several key benefits to taking time off once in a while:

1. More Energy.  More sleep increases memory and your learning ability.  It also improves your mood, motivation and judgment.  We know that small business owners often have late nights and early mornings, but taking some time to get some sleep will really improve the way you interact with your clients and employees, along with the quality of the work that you produce.
2. Increased Productivity.  This article from Inc. says that if we push our minds too much, our ideas start to dry up.  Taking breaks and taking time off increases your creativity and productivity.
3. Improved Health.  According to Huffington Post, anxiety disorders are at an all-time high.  The value that we put in free time and rest has decreased significantly, causing an increase in stress.  Taking time off can lower your stress level and decrease anxiety.
4. New Perspective.  We firmly believe that traveling is one of the best things you can do for yourself and for your business.  We go on a trip at least once a month and definitely attribute a lot of our personal growth to those trips.  Taking time off to travel the world, the country, or even the region that you’re in gives you a new perspective, introduces you to a different way of life and forces you to put yourself out there and interact with new people.  It can do wonders for your passion and your energy.
5. Better Relationships.  Since Luke and I own our company together, that can sometimes mean increased stress on our relationship.  Taking time just to be together without having to worry about our business made us grow even closer and focus more on our relationship together.  This rings true whether it’s your relationships with your spouse, your kids, your friends or your family.

So what’s the main point here?  Take time off once in a while.  It doesn’t have to be a huge trip or a long time.  Just spend an afternoon by the pool this summer.  Close your computer during dinner and watch your favorite TV show.  Spend a weekend away with your spouse, your kids or your best friend.  And, sometimes, shut everything off completely and go somewhere completely new.  It will make a world of difference.