Is Time Off Possible While Running a Business?

As many of you may know, I recently took a week off (shocking!) and travelled to Mexico with my husband. It was a great trip, and I will be writing a longer blog about it later, but today I wanted to share with you how important this trip was for me, and why I think it's vital for you to take even just a day off once in a while to become a better business owner or leader. Here's Why:

1. My Mental Health: Taking the time to prioritize rest and relaxation is not easy for me. I feel guilty for every minute that isn't spent being productive, a feeling I'm sure other small business owners can relate to. Even sitting on the beach, I was tempted to business plan or bring my laptop down. It took a lot for me to read my magazine quietly, or just sit and stare at the ocean. I work very hard to put my health and wellness first, and scheduling the time off forced me to plan in advance and then truly relax.

2. Distance From Decisions: Every day, we all have to make many decisions no matter what we do. What first? What next? How can I be as productive as possible? It's often so busy that the big decisions...the ones that could ultimately change things for the better in a more scalable, meaningful way...get pushed aside. In Mexico, I got distance from the small everyday decisions, and got to think about my business in a big picture way. I took time on the last (rainy) day of holidays to answer some big questions that had been building up in my mind:

What's working for my clients? Am I happy doing what I do every day? What do I want to do more of? What's my profit margin? How can I continue to build this company in a way that makes sense for every stake holder, including myself?

The questions may have been harder and I may have had to stare a financial sheet longer than I wanted to, but I knew that the answers would make the everyday decisions faster...and a few days later, they already have. I'm so much more clear on what I want, what makes financial sense, what services I feel I need to improve on. I have a plan.

3. Remembering How Much I Love What I Do: Alright, I'm not saying I was counting down the minutes to returning home from the beach, but as I was writing down the answer to "Am I happy doing what I do every day?" I gained clarity about why I love running Schmooz Media. I love that I am excited about what I do and I think it's great (not shameful) that I find it hard to stop working. How many people find it hard to stop working? I must be doing something right.

I love that I told new friends at the beach bar all about my mission to add new definitions of success to the world through Schmooz. They may have thought I was a little wacky or perhaps tipsy, but I felt so alive and so proud sharing my vision. How many people can say that they met a potential new employee on vacation? I did- and if I hadn't talked about business, I wouldn't have made that connection.

I love what I do and I am proud of what I have accomplished.

Why do you think taking a vacation or simply, a day off, is important? Does scheduling in downtime help your bottom line? Tell us your story!