Taking a Holiday from work
Taking a holiday is one of life’s little luxuries. It doesn’t matter if the holiday is overseas, a staycation or visiting family. The change of scenery, activity, and thought process is essential for your well-being. There will be hours thinking of potential exotic destinations and planning and preparing for the trip by shopping for new clothes, suntan cream or a new set of skis. Then discussions on various activities you could do. Possibly researching online, the list could be endless! All thoughts that take you away from thinking about work.
The worry and fear
If you are running your own business, you look after a business or have people reporting to you, the thought of a holiday can be traumatic. There is the amount of work you must do to prepare for the holiday. Upon returning to the office after the holiday and the long list of to-dos. Added to this, an entrepreneur is always working, looking for new opportunities, as mentioned previously. As a result, their mind is never really resting.
Walking away from work for a few days has benefits of both mental and physical health. It is vital that everyone rest, recharge the batteries, and refresh the mind. Taking that step aside, you will get a new perspective on what you are doing and why. Your subconscious is allowed time to consider thoughts you have stored. Business plans and goals you have planned but may have forgotten can resurface. The mind takes the time to ‘ponder’ previous thoughts and often makes enhanced decisions.
My Business
I have been running my business since 2002, and I work very hard. A 60-hour week is not unusual. However, it is always a shock when I add up the hours I work. I love my job, and when you enjoy doing something, the time rarely seems like work. Taking breaks for me is imperative. Every bank holiday is a total rest day for me. The business is closed from 21 December and won’t open again until 2 January. However, breaks during the year are also necessary.
Without breaks, your mind will continue to think about nothing but the business. You lose friends, and your family life will be affected. When I started my business, I worked all the hours I could. I put everything into my business. I have even cancelled a holiday due to work commitments. Dinner dates with friends and weekends away often got cancelled at short notice. My business was my only focus.
The Intervention – Taking a Holiday
I had two close friends who did ‘an intervention’. I had agreed to go away for the weekend but cancelled at the last minute. My friends were getting annoyed that I was always cancelling our plans. In the end, they both turned up at my house, telling me that this weekend is for friends and rest. We spent the weekend laughing, going out on short trips and meals at a local pub. Without realising it, this break was what I needed, a break from my thinking process. I needed time to let my mind think of something else and allow my subconscious time to work on the problem. When I returned to work on Monday, my mind was fresh, and I was relaxed. The issue my client was concerned about was resolved, and we were both pleased with the outcome.
From that experience, I learnt I need to take breaks. That my family and friends also deserved my time, but I needed them. They became my sanity check. I could discuss issues with them, and they offered a new perspective. My friends, Pippa and Karen, are great and continued to tell me when I worked too hard and too long. Sometimes, it isn’t easy to see that you have given everything up to complete the task at hand when you are in the middle of a job.
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
- Taking breaks from work is essential for your well-being, both mentally and physically
- Friends and family are supportive if you let them
- Your subconscious mind needs time to think and give you the correct answers to any problem
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
