Next week, I’m teaching our Mastermind students how to take two weeks off over the holiday season.

When I posted that this training was coming up, I was met with a variety of emotion…

What about you? Does taking time off from your business send your anxiety into a frenzy? What if I told you that time away is one of the most important things that you can do for your life, your health, and your business?

(Hint: It is!)

Now trust me, this is not a post I thought I’d be writing this year. (Yup, I am a bit of a workaholic.) But health has been one of my main focuses in 2020 — and as I now know, recovery is essential to our health and our success.

What I now know is that taking time off doesn’t mean you don’t love your clients or your work; it’s actually the opposite! It means you’re focused on recharging so you can come back stronger and serve at a higher level.

I’m personally planning to take two weeks off over the Christmas season, and I recommend you schedule in some regular rest and relaxation whether it’s over the next few months or into 2021 as well.

This is why I wanted to share some of the steps with you today so you can make this happen for yourself…

1. Get clear on your desire: The first thing you need to do is take stock of what it would look like for you to truly enjoy your holiday season. Would it be hanging out with friends and family? (I know this might not be possible in the same way with COVID.) Reading? Blankets and hot cocoa by the fire with the kids? What’s the real desire? (And by the way, don’t make anything wrong here!)

No matter what it looks like, really visualize the best holiday you can and then think of how many days off you need to make that happen. If you need a few days to get into vacation mode before you can enjoy it, then build in some additional days. If you know that you’re going to want alone time to read or sit in silence or just feel refreshed, then build that in.

2. Schedule it. Once you’ve determined how many days off you need for your recovery, it’s time to take out your calendar and mark those days off. They’re non-negotiable.

3. Plan and work ahead. So, what do you have going on from a business perspective in Q4 and Q1? Do you have a launch to prepare for? Client work to figure out? What does your work schedule look like?

Then work on getting everything done in advance that you can. Take the IHML Show for example. I won’t be recording episodes and approving show notes while I’m on vacation. I’ll batch the work and everything will be set up and done far in advance of the vacation.

4. Manage expectations. The last thing to consider (but not last in importance!) is who needs to know that you’re taking time off. In this case, make sure your plans are properly communicated to your team and your clients. The good thing is, they’ll likely be looking to take time off as well. Just be sure to have conversations with them early on so that you manage their expectations and leave them fully supported, even when you’re offline.

Holidays and time off are incredibly important for your health and the growth of your business. Don’t succumb to the need to just work through it.

Take the time away and come back refreshed for 2021.

P.S. To dive deeper into how you can make this happen in your life and business, hit play on the latest I Heart My Life Show episode.

P.P.S. If you are ready to uplevel your business, then I invite you to apply for the I Heart My Life Mastermind. We have just 7 spots remaining for 2020.