
THIS IS AN OPINION
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It was 2015. I was at the beach. I checked my email on my phone, and there was an exciting opportunity.
They wanted an extensive proposal. I dug in and spent several hours that afternoon preparing what was requested. Instead of spending time at the beach, my kids watched a movie in the room while I typed away. The next day, there was an additional request for more materials — another afternoon spent in the room instead of the beach.
Two weeks later, my proposal was rejected. I was disappointed, but what hurt the most was missing out on two half-days of enjoying time with my family at the beach. Never again! I resolved not to work while on vacation.
During my next vacation, I asked my assistant to screen my email and reply to any urgent requests, letting them know I would respond when I returned. I put systems in place and delegated tasks. It was glorious to be on vacation for two weeks, playing and relaxing. When I returned, I dug into challenges that arose in my absence. We shored up systems. Just a few months later, I took a fully unplugged three-week vacation. Very few things occurred in my absence that needed my attention.
This gave me courage. My business could run without me for four weeks. The following Christmas, I took a fully unplugged four-week vacation. As a single mom business owner, Christmas always felt like a sprint. I was squeezing in school parties between work, decorating and baking late at night and wrapping gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve. Being off for four weeks gave me time to savor a Christmas experience with my daughters. Childhood is fleeting. We only get 18 years, and they go fast!
In my research with more than 225 entrepreneurs who have taken our Better Business, Better Life Assessment, the average length in business is 12 years. “Zero days” is the most frequently reported response to the question “What’s the longest you’ve been able to be away from your business fully unplugged?” You’d laugh if someone offered you a job and told you you would be on call for 12 years. Who wants a job like that? Yet this is the reality of many business owners.
Nine out of 10 business owners are burning out. We have to take care of ourselves. Regularly unplugging from your business is critical to alleviating burnout. Your business can handle you being away.
Hustle culture is pervasive. We feel pressured to make sacrifices for business success. “It’s just the way it is” is a common refrain. You can make different choices. Your work can support your life, not the other way around.
