Vacations are a great opportunity to rethink your goals and priorities. Unfortunately, most of us either opt not to take a vacation or never really leave work behind when we’re on one. Given how important recharging your batteries can be, here are some tips for getting the energy you need to start fresh:
1. Getting away from your business from time to time gives your brain a break by giving it a change. If you don’t have a break planned, plan one. An extended separation—whether a long weekend, a week, or multiple weeks, really frees your mind to reflect more deeply on your business even more than the minimal weekly reflection.
2. When you take a break, it isn’t necessary to cut yourself off completely. Bring your iPhone or BlackBerry with you, but make a commitment to limit your time with them to a few brief, focused intervals each day.
3. Be sure you have times when you are not thinking about the business. Focus on your family, the scenery, your recreational activities, or a good book. This is important for freeing your subconscious mind—while also helping you relax and avoid burnout.
4. Make a point to write down ideas that come to you, whether about the business or your own personal goals. When you write ideas down, you not only assure that you don’t lose the thoughts, but you also free your mind from its focus on those issues so that it can continue in its more reflective state. Research shows that ideas that are written down have a significantly stronger chance of becoming real.
5. If you have employees or partners, you may learn a lot from what they do, and how they act, in your absence. You may or may not like what you learn—but it will give you important feedback about what is working or not working.
Beth Goldstein
President
Marketing Edge Consulting Group
Boston
Have your calls on blocked, with a message attached, this way you will not be tempted to answer. Set the time when the calls are allowed to come thru. Trust me it works.
It's essential to break from work. It's that "off-time" that re-energizes your mind. Think of a professional athlete. If they play their sport year-round they get burnt out, even injured. It's not any different for working professionals. Work is important, but it shouldn't be your entire life.
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