It’s nearly the middle of the year, have you taken time off for rest and relaxation? While you’re busy taking care of your business one of the most important things you can do is take good care of yourself. If you do this you will insure that you make it to the end of the year without burning out or blowing up.

Burn out is a condition that can be avoided and one way to do this is to plan your time off. If you wait for the right time, you will soon realize that it's never really the right time to walk away from incomplete tasks, a new account, a marketing campaign or anything else that you're working on. Your work load is not a good dictator of rest and relaxation. However, when you schedule your time off by actually making plans to take a trip or spend a few days at the spa you are more likely to follow through and take your time off instead of saving it up for later.

Vacations are not just a good idea they can be life savers. Too many people hit the bottom due to stress and and overload. Once a body is at this level of exhaustion, it makes us vulnerable to other things like illness and disease, both of which take more time to recover from than the time it takes to take time out for a little break.

Keep in mind that it's not easy to go cold turkey from a demanding work schedule, the stress of this alone can very overwhelming. Here are a few tips to help you "work" your way to a most restful lifestyle and create a better work/life balance.

1. Take one day off every couple of weeks. This will help you build up to more days until you are able to take a few week away.

2. Work remotely if possible. If you don't have to go the the office, try working from home once in a while. Again, re-train your thinking but making little adjustments.

3. Delegate duties that can be handled by someone else allowing you to free up your time for rest or even a long lunch break.

4. Make a plan to do something that you love. See a movie, go the the theater, attend a gallery opening or go to a concert.

5. Realize that you are important and a healthy business owner can lead to a healthy business!

The art of rest is just that. It's an art and it takes time to do it well, but it you focus and create a rest strategy you'll find yourself sippin' that refreshing ice cold drink by the pool in no time!





















































Many business owners forget that a good business is one that includes balance. That balance is the rich time that we spend with family, friends and those that enlighten and enrich us. It’s going to places that are stimulating and fun.

The old school of thought is to burnout. This used to prove your dedication and commitment to a task or project. The new school of thought is to stay in it for the long haul. Don't just stay in but to enjoy the journey. When working on your success plan, make sure that you take time out to rest. Rest for success!!!