As counterintuitive as it may sound, taking breaks from your business can propel you to greater heights, especially when it comes to the vital practice of switching off as a business owner. This is a critical strategy that every entrepreneur should embrace.
Understanding the importance of switching off as a business owner is crucial for transforming your work-life balance.
Understanding the importance of switching off as a business owner is crucial for achieving a balanced and fulfilling life.
Implementing effective strategies for switching off as a business owner is essential for long-term success.
Incorporating the practice of switching off as a business owner can lead to improved creativity and problem-solving abilities.
Giving ourselves a chance to relax and decompress can boost our productivity, help us develop creative ideas, and find solutions to sticky situations or complex decisions. The benefits of switching off as a business owner extend to our physical and mental health, as well as the quality of our relationships with people who truly matter in our lives.
By mastering the art of switching off as a business owner, you can significantly enhance both your productivity and overall well-being.
Prioritizing switching off as a business owner is essential for maintaining mental clarity and focus.
While these perks should be enough to encourage anyone to adopt switching off as a business owner, many business owners find it challenging. Some cannot let go due to deeply ingrained work ethics, while others don’t know where to begin.
Understanding ‘switching off’ for Business Owners
Embracing the Importance of Switching Off as Business Owner
The meaning of switching off as a business owner can vary from person to person, but in general, it requires you to completely detach yourself from your responsibilities.
Some take it to the next level by disconnecting from the world and other people, meaning:
- no emails,
- no phone calls,
- no types of sensory stimuli whatsoever.
However, you don’t have to adopt such extreme measures. Switching off as a business owner can simply mean establishing and respecting the boundaries between business and personal life.
It is easy to start embracing some seemingly small yet impactful choices during the early days of learning this approach. For example, turning the “Do Not Disturb” mode on your phone from 8.00apm until 7.00am the following morning.
Within this period, you can quickly learn to resist the urge to check your inboxes or read business-related news. Instead, over time, you can learn to focus on the present, whether on your own or with others.
Understanding the importance of switching off as a business owner can lead to improved focus and creativity.
By doing this again and again, switching off can become a part of your daily routine - and may even develop into a habit. It does not have to feel like a hurdle to overcome anymore. Your business also does not have to not suffer - your team can still hit the goals time and again. You can stop ruminating about the opportunities “lost” by leading a fuller and more rewarding life.
And isn’t that the dream of most entrepreneurs?
Understanding the importance of switching off as a business owner can lead to a healthier work-life balance.
Why Switching Off is Important
Most of us have been raised and conditioned to equate hard work with success. Of course, that remains true, but running yourself to the ground does not guarantee the achievement of your goals.
This unsustainable work ethic has worsened as the world still reels from the combined effects of a global pandemic and soaring inflation rates. Many business owners believe they must be on top of everything 24/7 to keep their operations up and running.
Everyone, however, should prioritise their wellbeing by switching off work from time to time. Below are the top four reasons you should set aside time for you to recharge and refresh yourself on a regular basis.
1. You’ll stay physically and mentally fit to take on the following day
Let’s explore this point through an example.
Ben, the owner of a tech startup, spent most of his nights answering emails or evaluating his employees’ reports. He did not have enough time during the regular work hours to go through all of them since he had to juggle plenty of responsibilities as the head of their small yet dedicated team.
Once or twice might not have been a big deal, but several days’ worth of accumulated stress prevented Ben from being in his top form when it was time to pitch ideas to a potential investor.
This lack of foresight could lead to more disastrous consequences. A good night’s sleep gives the human body a chance to recover and repair itself. Sacrificing this to meet your deadlines will lead to pains and aches you did not suffer before.
Your body’s natural defences will also weaken, thus putting you at serious risk of burnout or developing various health issues, including heart diseases and poor digestion.
Taking a break from work will allow you to slow down and relax hours before bedtime. After having a restful night, you will feel more energised and clear-headed the following morning.
2. You’ll gain new experiences and perspectives
Some business owners feel stuck in a rut because of their own doing. They prioritise work above all others, so they fail to grow on a personal level.
This stagnation can hamper breakthroughs and innovation within the company itself, too. Since you have minimal exposure to the outside world, you are likely running behind competitors who foster discovery and exploration more than you do.
By switching off from being an entrepreneur regularly, you will have the opportunity to pursue other interests. Such interests do not have to be related to your field for them to impact your business positively. What matters more is that you genuinely enjoy or feel passionate towards them.
In the case of Liz, who owns a small travel agency, she loves watching movies and TV series to unwind and learn more about different cultures and trends at the same time. Whenever she found something engaging or thought-provoking, Liz would quickly note it on her phone for later inspection and return her attention to the screen. It might not be of any apparent use to her agency, but that’s fine. Watching her favourite shows is for entertainment and decompression anyway.
3. You’ll develop your own unique support system
Your social circles as a business owner should not be limited to your network of fellow entrepreneurs, suppliers, and customers. Instead, it would be best to tap into your family and friends, who will be there for you through thick and thin.
Strong bonds with the people closest to you can keep you going even when the challenges seem insurmountable. They typically offer unconditional support to you and may even share insights that could prove valuable to your growth as a person and business owner.
Developing your social support system takes time and effort. Allocating a portion of your day to connect with them on a meaningful level will help you build a solid foundation and deepen the relationship.
For example, Melissa, who runs an accounting firm, made it a point to read bedtime stories with her husband to their three children every night. Each reading session didn’t take them more than an hour, but the ritual made all the difference when she felt so drained from managing their business.
4. You’ll cultivate critical entrepreneurial skills
If you think your workday runs for endless hours, you might overexert yourself on matters that do not require your attention and leave nothing much on what can push your business towards its goals.
Case in point: Harry found it challenging to delegate tasks among his employees. It’s not uncommon for him to keep working until the wee hours to cover the deliverables to their clients.
On the contrary, business owners who impose limited work hours on themselves learn critical skills to improve their performance and lead others to success. If Harry’s target was to end work by 6 PM every day, he could break off his poor work habits and adopt more effective communication, time management, and goal management strategies.
In the same process, the efforts of Harry to attain a work-life balance would foster the same ideals among his employees. This would then allow more people to realise and reap the benefits of taking well-deserved breaks, too.
How to ‘Switch Off’
Business experts and wellness professionals have widely touted the merits of work-life balance. As such, notable industry leaders develop various employee programs to promote a culture of well-adjusted and motivated individuals.
But what about the business owners themselves? While the principles behind those programs remain applicable, the situation differs given the greater expectations and accountabilities. In most cases, taking a break cannot be done by simply refraining from checking your email, let alone going on a holiday in some far-off place.
Nonetheless, switching off from work is within your control if you plan and prepare well. Remember, the goal here is to uphold the boundaries between being a small business owner and the other aspects of your life. After all, how can you keep yourself from worrying about your team, clients and other collaborators if you had abruptly stepped away?
Here are six strategies you must consider to ease yourself into a daily routine involving regular breaks from work.
1. Streamline your work schedule
As business owners, our days are typically filled with meetings, reports, and overseeing operations. It would seem improbable to designate a specific time to end your shift like regular employees.
And even if we aim to finish work at 6 PM, we tend to lose track of it and find ourselves still dealing with business matters way past our bedtime.
One way to avoid this is to plot your schedule for the following day and limit it to only a specific number of work hours. That might not seem doable if you’re used to handling every matter in your business. Therefore, the solutions lie in the practice of task prioritisation and delegation.
Example: Ben the bookkeeper
Ben learned how to apply this strategy to his daily schedule. He started by listing the upcoming activities and deliverables of his company.
Then, Ben highlighted the ones considered urgent and critical to the business. In his case, this typically involves handling client enquiries.
If his attention was required ], he would schedule them during the early parts of the workday. Doing so ensures that he would get things done with a clear mind and high energy level. If his participation in something gwas optional, he would assign it to his team members with the right expertise and authority to handle it.
Ben allocated the following hours to essential but not urgent activities. Again, he limited himself to the ones he had to deal with personally. The latter part of his workday could be dedicated to meetings and deliverables that were not operationally critical but considered urgent - for example, finalising a presentation to a prospective customer.
His business would keep running even if he had not finished it yet, but he had to act quickly to achieve his sales targets. For tasks that were neither important nor urgent, Ben would take a moment to assign them to someone else in his team. He kept them on his notes to remember to check in on them before ending his day at work.
After applying this method, Ben realised he had only one or two critical activities to be dealt with immediately. The time limit he imposed on himself forced him to analyse everything before making any commitments. Achieving this structured schedule also empowered his team members to take on more tasks that significantly impact the business’s overall success.
2. Let your employee, customers, and other collaborators know in advance
Your work as a business owner often involves dealing with other people. Therefore, you should communicate with them your goal to switch off from your role at specific times or days. This will allow them to rearrange their schedules as needed or plan activities within your work hours only.
Example: Liz the travel agent
In Liz’s travel agency, her staff and customers know that anything that comes up after 7 PM will be handled on the next business day. She assigned a team member to serve as the first responder in emergencies. Such situations do not typically require her attention to resolve so that she would receive the reports the following morning.
The clients were also informed who to contact if an immediate response was needed. Aside from clearly stating the agency’s business hours, their automated replies on their helplines include reassurances that a representative will reach out within the next few hours. This allows the agency to set client expectations within reason while maintaining Liz’s boundaries for herself and the entire team.
3. Establish personal cues to switch off
According to experts on habit formation, we must associate the desired behaviour with a cue to serve as a reminder to perform the said behaviour. At first, it will be a conscious choice on your part to carry out the sequence. After constant repetition, it will eventually feel natural because you have adapted it as a habit.
You can apply this principle when learning to leave work at designated times. The cue can be anything you want, but we suggest sticking to something basic yet not a regular part of your workday as a business owner.
Example: Ben’s music
Ben created a short playlist of relaxing songs as he wrapped things up at work. He set a daily reminder on his phone to play it one hour before he had to leave the office.
At first, the harried entrepreneur found himself scrambling to finish everything on his schedule. Over time and with his other switching-off strategies, he learned to pace himself better, and the music no longer stressed him out.
Example: Harry’s gym subscription
Harry ran a business and purchased himself a gym subscription. He scheduled his exercise with a trainer every 6:30 PM to force himself to get off work by 6 PM.
This cue worked quite well in his case because the change of environment helped him take his mind off work. The rush of endorphins after exercising his body made his nights more enjoyable. In the long run, this new lifestyle improved his physical and mental wellness without feeling apprehensive anymore about switching off.
4. Ask others to hold you accountable
Informing other people about your goals is an effective strategy to keep yourself from lapsing into your old work routine. However, it would be more compelling if you could also seek their assistance in reminding and supporting you to stay on the course.
Example: Melissa and her family
Melissa’s family provided such help right from the start. She committed to her husband and children that she would be home before dinnertime. On days when she thought she could not afford to take a break from running her company, the family would initiate a video call to check in on her. Those initiatives gave her a chance to refocus on why she must switch off.
Example: Harry’s gym trainer
Harry’s trainer served in the same way, even without his knowledge.
The former workaholic would receive a message from the trainer every afternoon, confirming if he was going to the gym. That prompted Harry to revisit his schedule and check if he was on track with the daily plan.
Anything that could no longer fit but was not critical or urgent would be postponed to the next working day.
5. Engage in a purposeful after-work activity
Aside from exercising, have you considered starting a new hobby, trying meditation, or practising mindfulness to help you switch off as a business owner?
These are just some of the purposeful activities that could help you transition while lowering your stress levels and promoting your mental wellbeing.
The activity does not have to be something new or grand.
Example: Liz’s Netflix sessions
Watching Netflix might not be considered purposeful by many, but for Liz, this is how her body and mind wind down for the day. It allowed her to achieve the objective of taking a break from work, and it did not feel like another chore to cross off her list.
Example: Ben’s Spotify playlist
Ben’s playlist on Spotfiy inspired him to learn how to play the piano. He looked up the nearby schools and tutors that catered to working adults like him. After observing a few classes, he enrolled in a two-month program to start things off.
Those two months extended to six because he wanted to advance his skills, and even when he stopped attending the classes, Ben continued to play the piano at home whenever the mood struck him.
Overall:
The critical thing to remember in this case is to engage in an activity to have a positive impact on your life. It can be done on your own, like reading the latest book from your favourite author, or with other people - for instance, joining a book club or online discussions with fellow fans.
Whatever it may be, whether it is a creative pursuit, an athletic challenge, or perhaps even an academic commitment, your after-work activity should immerse you well enough to keep your business from occupying your mind again.
6. Have a backup plan
Many business owners have apprehensions about switching off because of the numerous things that can go wrong when they are not around or on top of everything in their organisation.
We cannot eliminate those risks, but we can find ways to mitigate them and gain peace of mind while off work.
Example: Melissa’s work phone
Melissa purchased separate mobile phones for personal and work matters. When she was on her break, the work phone stayed off to block all distractions and temptation to respond to business emails.
Whenever her family would go on extended trips, she would bring her work phone, but it would remain off. Her most trusted employees had her personal phone number so they could reach her in case of an emergency that she must know of immediately. They had discussed what types of situations fall into that category, thus minimising the instances wherein her holiday was disrupted by something trivial.
7. Be Consistent but Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Learning how to switch off as a business owner will not happen overnight. It will take time and a lot of mental fortitude to stay true to your goal of achieving and maintaining a work-life balance.
No matter which strategies you employ, none of them will work as effectively as you might expect if you cannot go home on time most days or if your thoughts continue to be filled with business-related matters during your time off work.
That said, a few minor lapses will not automatically lead to abject failure. It’s not a black-or-white situation all the time, especially when it comes to running a small business. What matters more is you recognise where you have fallen short and make the necessary corrections to prevent them from occurring again.
As a final takeaway, remember that building and fostering a solid support system can help you switch off and enjoy your well-deserved breaks from being an entrepreneur.
Forbes covers strategies to emotionally detach from work, set communication boundaries, and prioritize recovery so you can perform better in the long run.