Small business owners desperately need time off and when the sun is shining, the pull to be outside is great. Entrepreneurs learn that it's tough to stop in the middle of the day; even a few hours can be tough. The self-employed person pays for their 'fun' twice: the cost of lost productivity time, and the revenue lost from not working. It is tempting to just keep grinding away, but actually that can be counter-productive. By forcing yourself to take a break and a little recovery time, we come back to work with renewed energy and focus, often some of the best ideas and marketing approaches can be hatched.

Here are a few suggestions on how to make your time count:
Watch Your Business Day:
Understand what your business demands will be for the day and schedule the breaks strategically.
Use Automation:
Set an auto responder for your emails to let the customer know what to expect and take the pressure off from feeling like you will miss something.
When you do:

I recommended make a commitment to a limited schedule of "work breaks."
For example, try to schedule one hour a day and stick to that time frame. Choose three to five high level tasks you need to accomplish in that time frame. Stick to your starting and ending time!

The benefits of taking breaks can be preventative in nature. Time off can curb burnout, stress, and the mental and emotional effects that tend to follow a non-stop, work-only lifestyle. Aside from these obvious benefits, a commitment to taking time off is a commitment to work-life balance that speaks to your health and understanding this is as important as or more important than work. With this in mind, get out there and enjoy!

How do you schedule breaks?

Do you find days that you never stopped to eat or recover?

What strategy can you embrace now to schedule breaks now?