When you own your own business – especially as a sole proprietor – time is your most valuable resource. With all the responsibilities you face each day, it’s easy to get caught in the trap of working every day, ALL day long, and skipping those all important breaks. However, taking breaks throughout the day actually helps you to be more creative and increases your productivity. Breaks give you (and your brain) a time to recharge. You need to give yourself a break!
If you are most productive in the morning, schedule all your important tasks first thing in the day, with your first break around mid-morning. If it takes you a while to get moving in the morning, schedule your easiest tasks for the morning, and your more involved tasks for later in the day, along with a midday break. You get the idea.
For me, I’m ready to start working as soon as I get out of bed. After a quick shower and dressing, I’m ready to get caught up on customer questions from the previous night, then it’s on to packaging and shipping orders for the midday mail pickup. The next daily pickup isn’t until early evening, so this is a perfect time to take a mid-morning break – and I do!
In the Spring, Summer, and Fall, those breaks are usually trips to nearby flea markets, estate sales, and auctions. Sure, that is officially “working” in my case, but breaks don’t have to be about doing “nothing”. Doing something you really enjoy is perfect for a break. For me, there is nothing like getting outside in the fresh country air, walking through a flea market to recharge! Most flea markets around us close at 1pm, so it’s back to the shop for more customer correspondence, then packaging and shipping orders for the evening pickup. Once all the orders for the day are shipped, it’s time for another midday break. A quick walk, a refreshing swim, visits with friends, or even just time to sit outside with a good book and a glass of ice water with a lime twist are perfect ways to take a break. So refreshing! After this break, I’m ready for the creative side of my business – taking photos, writing product descriptions, tweaking my website, writing articles. That midday break fuels me into the evening when I have to force myself to stop working (I really do love my job). Evenings are time for family and friends, and I make the most of that precious time.
I love the flexibility of working for myself, and while my day-to-day schedule is pretty routine, there is always time for unexpected adventures and fun! Those frequent short breaks that I take tend to work better for me than taking fewer, longer breaks. I realize everyone is a little different when it comes to working and schedules – but it’s all about balance and finding what works best for you!
If you’re still not convinced you need to take breaks, check out this article “The Secret To Increased Productivity: Taking Time Off”.
TIPS FOR TAKING A BREAK:
- Set a Timer (a vintage timer, of course) – While this may seem pretty basic, it is effective. Set a timer for the amount of time you plan to get a task done, then when the timer goes off, it’s time for a break. Set a timer for at least 15 minutes, get up and go outside for a walk. The fresh air will do you good and walking is a good way to relieve stress. When that timer goes off, it’s back to work – but don’t forget to set the timer for your next task.
- Hire Help – Sometimes the best way to get more done in a day without having to work even more hours is to hire someone to help you. Hire your kids (or grandchildren) to help you with routine tasks. If you don’t have kids, or your kids are too young, perhaps you can hire a high school or college student to help when you need it. If your parents are retired and are looking for something to do, hire them to help you. It’s fun working together and makes the work go by much easier. Having extra help will give you the extra time you need to take a short, well-deserved break.
- Just Say No – When you work from home, friends and neighbors sometimes think you have more free time than you do and will ask you for small favors – feed their pets, watch their kids for an hour, or help them with something around their house. While it’s always nice to be a good friend and neighbor, sometimes you just have to say “no” to these requests. Use that time to take a break for yourself, and don’t feel guilty about it.
- Take a Nap – First off, I am NOT a nap person! But I know plenty of people who are, and they enthusiastically maintain that they are more refreshed and energized, get more done, and think much clearer when they have a nap during the day. Now they aren’t talking about sleeping for hours burning up daylight. In fact, quite of few of my napping friends say a quick (10 -15 minute) nap is all they need to feel supercharged! Here is a great link to an article about taking the perfect nap.
You are so right, taking breaks really is important! I know I feel better and work better when I take them. Scheduling them with a timer is a good idea too. I tend to wing it which makes for a flexible but disorganized schedule. Too much work some days, not enough other days.
In general, I think Americans really don’t know how to take breaks. We’re taught from early on to be productive, and often that’s translated into, “Work hard and all the time!” I taught myself how to take breaks and the occasional nap long ago, and this post is a wonderful reminder.
Saying, “No,” is really tough, though. 🙂 Thanks for posting, JD!
I’m working on finding my “schedule”. Thanks for the info.