Owning your own company requires an immense amount of time and energy. For the record, it is all worth it, but it’s not without collateral damage. The path along the way to success is lined with semi-sleepless nights, missing weekends and the eventual realization that a vacation is unimaginable. Each of these symptoms, if ignored can lead to far greater problems.
- Lack of sleep leads to lack of focus, and consequently the work suffers.
- Missing weekends creates the feeling of being constantly on. The obvious outcome of this is “the crash.”
- Losing the ability to imagine a vacation can lead to workaholism and becoming someone who cannot appreciate leisure and fun.
There is no easy answer to these problems. Work needs to get done and if you’re anything like me, you’re not just trying to win, you’re trying to conquer, which leads to something that could only be described as an obsession improving the work, the business, the marketing, and everything else.
So how do I keep myself from going insane?
In the absence of a true vacation, I take mini ones. I’ll take an entire day off and read comics with my dog by my side. I’ll turn off all notifications INCLUDING Twitter!
Instead of the big wins, I delight in the little ones. So yeah, I may work longer hours, but I also stop to nap whenever I feel like it (unless I have a call or meeting).
I’ll wake up really early on a weekday, but I’ll stay out real late on a weekend and enjoy the evening.
All a vacation is, is a step away from the daily activities. If you go to the Bahamas and are constantly checking your emails…you’re not on vacation. By the same token, I can take my mind completely off of work right from the comfort of the courtyard in my building.
Whatever you do, make sure you never lose your sense of fun and make time to get away from the routine.