Business owners are endlessly busy. But taking at least one day off each week is an essential part of maintaining a healthy work-life balance (and with it, your physical and mental health for the long run). Lots of people recognize this and do take their days off—but in name only. In other words, they work on their day off. That’s not really a day off, and if you’re one of these entrepreneurs, you don’t quite get how to recharge on your day off.
Eventually, even the most driven entrepreneurs will succumb to stress and burn out if they don’t pay attention to self-care and taking real breaks. And while these breaks might seem counterproductive or like lost time, they allow you to return to work feeling refreshed and with renewed focus and clarity. By learning how to recharge on your day off, you in fact promote your productivity and success.
Tips for Having Restorative Days Off
- Don’t work on days off. Do whatever it takes to prevent getting sucked in, like keeping your laptop or email closed, turning off your phone notifications, etc.
- Make sure your employees know it’s your day off, and that you should only be contacted in an emergency. And just to throw it out there, show your employees the same respect by not contacting them when they’re off.
- Delegate responsibility while you’re unavailable, and let your employees know who to talk to instead of you.
- Feel free to linger in bed in the morning.
- Take care of errands and any other obligations early in the day so they’re not hanging over your head while you’re trying to unwind.
- Eat a big breakfast. Take time to really savor and enjoy your coffee, tea, or other morning drink.
- Steer clear of your computer, laptop, tablet, and phone as much as possible. We all need time away from our digital devices.
- Hang out with a family member or friend who you don’t see enough while you’re working.
- Spend some time outdoors. If you can go somewhere to surround yourself with nature, that’s always an excellent option for recharging.
- Take a nap if you feel like taking a nap.
- Fit a hobby into your day.
- Do something relaxing, like taking a hot bath, yoga, meditation, listening to soothing music, or deep breathing exercises.
- Get some ice cream, eat a piece of cake, or let yourself have some other favorite indulgence.
