If you are a business owner, like myself, then it is very likely that you are also proud of it. Your business is your baby and you probably spend more time on it than your spouse and other children would like. But you do this because you enjoy what you do, and you want to put every effort into it to become a huge success.
However, sometimes you just need to get time away, and with the summer coming up, it is the time of the year to start thinking about a well deserved holiday.
To some business owners, the word "holiday" sounds much more of a nightmare than a pleasant break. Some go years without a holiday, and you have to ask yourself, why work so hard if you can't earn yourself a little time-out.
One of the key reasons business owners don't like going on holiday is because their businesses are left behind. This might not be problem for most businesses, but the anxiety of not knowing what is going on back in the office can leave very little time to switch off and actually relax around a pool. I'm not saying that as a business owner we want to do work whilst on holiday, but being able to rest the mind knowing that everything is going to plan back home, that the office isn't on fire, and that after the holiday you won't be coming back to an overblown inbox would mean you could at least clear your mind of worry and doubt and focus on the family and holiday.
In the traditional way that businesses run, I'm really not surprised owners are nothing but stressful on holiday. There is no communication back with the business other than perhaps your email and the faith that your team isn't missing anything important. After all, no one knows your business like you do.
I try and go on holiday once a year, and the last time I went I had the most relaxing break in my entire 15 year career as a business owner. At the same time, I didn't do any work that would disrupt the holiday. How did I do this? Well, it took just two elements. Time management and the right tools. Firstly I realised that between the day of activities or relaxation and dinner, there was a moment when you end up being back in the bedroom getting washed and changed for the evening. In that time the rest of the family is doing the same, and it becomes the most productive and non-disruptive time to do 30 minutes of work. I say "work", but what I really mean is to respond to any urgent emails and check on the progress of the team and the business as a whole.
Having Neetrix as my tool, I can access my entire business in real-time over the internet. This means I can quickly see what the team has been up to, what new business has come in, the progress of jobs and the ability to (even with large time zone differences) communicate back to the teams about what needs to be done, of which I can check again the following evening. So this means that spending just 30 minutes or less in the day, at a time that would otherwise be lost, you can go through the rest of the evening and the following day knowing that everything was steaming ahead as it should at home, and that anything that needs to be done is being handled. Which all means you are getting the time with the family and a mind that is free and relaxed enough to enjoy it!
If you are thinking about a holiday this summer, think about how you are going to manage your anxiety levels whilst away, and if you don't have the tools to help with this, then come and speak to us about how we can help you have the truly relaxing holiday that you deserve.
