The holiday season is here, and with it time to relax and focus on what matters – unless you’re a small business owner. Every owner knows being away from the office can be just as stressful as being in it, with phone calls, urgent texts and clients all pulling at your attention. It’s easy to let business take over, but it’s vital to get some real time away. Here are some tips for switching off.
1. Shut down entirely for the week
If your business can close for a week, consider shutting from Christmas to New Year. Your employees will love the time off, this period is generally less productive anyway, and you won’t be bothered by urgent texts. Just give clients notice – good clients will respect and even encourage the decision.
2. Have someone trained to cover your absence
A big headache is constant calls from employees who can’t carry out basic tasks or make decisions. If you’re leaving the business open, have someone senior available to answer questions and take over duties. Prepare staff for situations they can resolve themselves, and assign one or two contact people – not you – with strict instructions about when they can reach you. You don’t need calls on your days off because someone can’t work the coffee machine.
3. Resist planning meetings during this time
When a client requests a meeting over the holidays, it’s hard to resist – but that meeting takes up space in your head well beyond the meeting itself, as you prepare and plan what to say. Unless the situation is dire, push it until after the holidays, or ask another staff member to attend for you.
Final thoughts
If you’re taking time off, really take it. Don’t spend it constantly checking texts and emails or attending meetings. Put your phone away, stop checking email, set an out-of-office reply and update your voicemail with your return date, so you can genuinely rest and recharge for January.