Take a break from your inbox this year...!

If you’re a CEO, Director or running your own business, you know that the success or failure of the business rests squarely on your shoulders. Many individuals in a critical position within a business not only find it difficult to take time off work but when they do they are left feeling the need to check in frequently and therefore don't fully recharge and switch off.

Now is the time to take that well-earned break.

Feeling guilty about adding extra workload to other staff members, or worrying about a pile of work to come back to are normal concerns. In reality, not taking time away from work is a Health and Safety issue - protecting your own mental health will allow you to return refreshed and may increase your productivity.

Avoiding burn-out should be your number one priority. Being tied to your desk or glued to your phone - even when you’re not at work - is an unhealthy behaviour but you already know this! Taking time to recharge those batteries and ‘switching off’ both literally and figuratively is good for you, your family and your organisation.

I am a Virtual Personal Assistant, providing cover for corporate clients who understand the need for ‘down time’. CEOs and Directors have used my remote administration services allowing them to take quality time with their families.

Here are my top tips:

● Leaving your workload to chance is not an option - you need to ensure that you arrange for the appropriate level of cover in advance. If you need to, divide your workload up into tasks and delegate these individually to several people or appoint an executive assistant to manage this on your behalf.

● Take time to provide a handover - be prepared to invest a week preparing notes and information on key tasks. If possible, ask an administration assistant to create a responsibility flow and process mapping diagram with you. You’ll be surprised to find how many repetitive tasks there are and what can wait until you return. Some recurrent jobs may be highlighted during this exercise, allowing you to assign them permanently to a virtual administrator - saving you time.

● Transition period - walking away from your livelihood (even temporarily) can be overwhelming. Take a step back for a day to confidence-check your business operations. Knowing things continue to run smoothly whilst you’re not there will allow you to relax if you’re planning a longer absence. If they don’t run smoothly, you will discover where your processes need support

● Speak to a professional - virtual executive assistant companies, like mine, can guide you through all you need to prepare. Having someone with the professional skills and qualifications to keep the wheels turning will ensure that your holiday is uninterrupted.

● Disconnect - as tempting as it may be, micromanaging your ‘cover’ isn’t going to be good for them or your stress levels. If you’ve followed my advice and have taken the necessary business help steps, there should be no reason for you to have to constantly check-up on the situation at home.

● Stop feeling guilty - you’ve been resilient in the face of adversity and responsible for the growth of your business. Now it’s time to take some time away to ensure that you’re mentally and physically ready for the year ahead. You’ve earned this down-time through your own hard work and you deserve it!

The easy way to ensure your business needs are met?

Virtual Personal Assistants are hired by businesses to provide that go between when they need professional cover, or assistance with day to day requirements. Choosing a Virtual Personal Assistant allows you to take on an additional ‘member of staff’ virtually, without the need to contract someone on a permanent basis (with all the associated costs and risks - see my previous blog post on this here).

My clients use my business support services repeatedly when they realise time away to regroup makes them more productive. Both business owners and managers understand the importance of reconnecting with their families, especially when they work such long hours. If you’re not quite ready to commit to taking a holiday, but realise that you could benefit from delegating some of your more time-consuming tasks, an online virtual personal assistant may be exactly what you need (find out more about tasks a virtual assistant can do here)

If you need an ongoing executive assistant to senior management, virtual secretary services or just looking to cover a temporary period of absence, please do send me a message today to see how me and my team can your business.

Relate to this article and are ready to take a proper break this year? Please get in touch and let's have a chat.