Be sure to take a break.

One of the easy traps to fall into as a small business owner is to become so engrossed in your business that you forget to take time out and recharge your batteries. This is often most pronounced when you are in the initial stages of establishing your business, or when you are going through an expansion phase.

Whilst the idea of a holiday is always on everyone's wish list, many small business owners see this break as possibly meaning lost business opportunities. The decision to take a break is even more difficult if it means you have to totally close your doors for that period of time. Add to this the continued paying of rent and no income coming in, and your holiday suddenly becomes a lot more expensive.

This all just highlights the point made in my recent post, "Do you want to own a business or a job?" If your business closes down when you go on holiday, then you indeed really own a job!

Having said all this, I can't stress (operative word) enough the importance of taking some time out for yourself, family and/or friends. You will be surprised how refreshed you and your mind will be when you return to your work, and thus, you will be more productive in the day to day business decisions you need to make.

How often do you take a break from your work? Let me know your thoughts.