10 Ways To Prevent Entrepreneur Burn Out In corporate America, it's easy to take a vacation - you get paid for it! But as an entrepreneur, who's got time for a vacation? If you've been an entrepreneur for some time now, you've experienced that if you don't refresh you lose focus, spin in circles, and start to make horrible decisions.
Our creativity gets blocked because the juices aren't flowing and we may even suffer fatigue.
Give yourself a break.
If you have great discipline and balance, you can stop reading now.
You have probably already mastered this area.
But for those of you who rarely take time for yourself, let alone a vacation from your business, take good notes.
As an entrepreneur our most important and valuable skill is our creativity.
Have you ever noticed that some of your best ideas come at times like when you're sleeping or in the shower, or driving? To tap into that cherished creativity more often, we all need some downtime.
Here are 10 doable suggestions for a "mini-vacation" without losing momentum from your business.
1.
Read a good book.
I don't mean another marketing or leadership book.
Be adventurous - read a novel, poetry, or a biography, anything that will completely allow you to escape and let your imagination run free.
2.
Linger around a coffee shop.
You'll meet the most interesting people.
Coffee shops are great for people watching.
I really enjoy writing my blog posts at Starbucks so when I'm taking a break, I patronize less known cafes so that I completely disconnect from work.
3.
Go for a drive.
At least once a week I jump in my car and drive down to the beach just to clear my head.
And frequently, I head over to the prettiest park in my area and idle away the time watching the clouds and the kids playing.
I always return refreshed and ready to go again.
4.
Have lunch with a friend.
Pick a restaurant with the great view or an outdoor cafe where you can people watch.
Or even pack your own lunch and have a picnic in a beautiful setting.
5.
Go to an art gallery.
Immerse yourself in other's creativity.
Or go to a mall...
it's a great way to escape the summer heat.
6.
Enjoy a hobby.
Do what you enjoy...
gardening, yoga, scrapbooking, knitting, woodworking, painting, crafts of any kind.
Have fun with it...
just let loose.
7.
Play a game.
Anything on the internet doesn't count.
Play golf, tennis, baseball, volleyball, even board games.
The idea is to laugh like a kid and feel the joy of just having fun without an agenda.
8.
Enjoy some music.
Most towns have outdoor concerts for the summer that are free.
Or, tune your headset to your favorite music and take a walk or a slow stroll.
9.
Spend the afternoon with a child.
Do what they would like to do.
It's amazing how a kid can bring out the kid in you and leave you feeling a million mental pounds lighter.
10.
Make it a spa day.
There's nothing like a massage.
It's something that's good for you and I promise you will leave completely unstressed, similar to Gumby or a wet noodle.
If you can't make it to a spa, create your own spa atmosphere and pamper yourself.
Calgon take me away! When you get stressed out, take some time off.
It always works like a charm! The payoff for taking breaks can be significant.
Writers who suffer from writers block often say that the best thing to do is disengage for a while and do something else.
When you notice you're reading the same sentence over and over again or you've been staring at your computer for the last 10 minutes trying to figure out what you're doing, it's time to take a break! Go have fun and just enjoy yourself for a few hours.
You'll see that nothing horrible will happen and you'll be much more creative when you return.
Plan to do at least one of these 10 recommendations each week.
Take note of what happens when you do.
I think you'll find your energy is completely rejuvenated.
Watch how much more productive you become when you take time out for fun.
One of these mini vacations will open your mind to the flow of creativity and new ideas and soon you'll find yourself getting more done and having more time for fun.
I'd love to hear how to you unwind, refresh and get your creative juices flowing again? So please leave me a comment with your suggestions.