3 types of breaks to take from work
July 4th 2015 was a day I’ll never forget.
It was my first day off work in over 3 years since starting my business.
The first day I wouldn’t set an alarm to wake up and train clients and work on my business in years.
I imagined slowly rolling out of bed for a relaxing morning
over coffee with myself.
I’d take “an everything” shower, then roll the windows down as
I cranked my favorite music for the 40 minute drive to my parents house for the holiday.
It would be exactly what I needed to head back into work feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
WRONG. So wrong.
Despite the fact that one day off will never cure 3 years worth of overworking no matter what strategies you employ, what you do need to know the next time you take a break from work is exactly what kind of break from work you need.
There are way more than just 3!
use this as a way to get started.
1. a break from clients
Client work is a double edged sword.
Client bring in money.
Client also cost a lot of energy.
There are ways to set up your business with boundaries that support your energy so you’re not a drained, exhausted zombie after work each night,
but even with the world’s best systems and boundaries in place, it is normal to seek rest from client-facing work.
Even your easiest, most joyful clients can sometimes be too much.
Don’t let guilt get in the way here-
your job is not to rescue your clients from themselves.
Your clients really will survive without you for a session or two.
I encourage my clients to take breaks from their clients often!
This means I too incorporate client breaks into my work life.
2. a break from creating shit
Even if you don’t think you’re a creative person,
your job as a trainer inherently relies on creativity.
At least, my job as a trainer did.
You have to creatively solve problems during each session.
You have to use some form of creativity to design programs.
What’s more is that writing a simple email from scratch requires creativity!
You’re literally creating something that didn’t exist before every single time you produce something “from scratch” in your business.
Yes, over time it feels like second nature.
I can almost instinctively correct someone’s form.
But to sit down and record the video explanation or
type it all out is a form of creation.
Tweaking the plan to account for back pain or shin splints is a form of creation.
Writing emails is a form of creation.
Every single social media post requires creativity.
At least, mine do.
You need a break from that shit from time to time.
3. a break from growing/scaling
The endless pursuit of business growth reminds me exactly of the endless pursuit of a better body.
Everyone’s always chasing it because no one is ever there.
I’ll use myself as an example:
If I didn’t eat in a very specific way, my ab definition went away in a matter of days.
You’re always almost there.
Business is no different.
You’re always almost… somewhere.
And never quite where you actually are.
Just like I used to suggest that my fitness clients put
weight loss on the back burner,
I think it’s just as powerful to consider in your work as well.
Can you shift into a maintenance phase of business?
Can you intentionally downshift and scale back?
Of course you can.
There are endless ways your business can work for you, just like there are endless reasons to exercise beyond weight loss.
Take as much of a break from chasing the big, sexy, never-ending goal of business growth as you need.