For most entrepreneurs, running your own business isn’t just a career choice – it’s a lifestyle. There’s always something more you “could” or “should” be doing to advance. However, this mentality leads to unrealistic demands on your time.

Likely, one of the many reasons you started your own company was to work less and have more free time – leaving behind the traditional 9 to 5. Working too many hours a week with minimal breaks isn’t aligning with your goals and will eventually run you into the ground.

Pausing your work day to walk away and get some space is essential to your health and well-being. Just a few short breaks could make the difference between success and failure in your entrepreneurial ventures.

Break Time Activities

Taking breaks during work may seem utterly foreign if you aren’t used to it. These ideas can get your creative juices flowing:

• Work on a hobby

• Read

• Go for a walk

• Take a nap

• Get a cup of coffee

• Stretch

• Do a workout

• Get some food

• Sit outside

• Journal

• Chat with a friend

• Spend time with your family

• Do a puzzle

• Listen to music

Benefits of Taking a Break

The many benefits of taking a break are well worth the time spent away from your business. Though it might seem counterintuitive, dropping your work for a bit can actually increase your likelihood of running your company successfully.

1. Avoid Burnout

Burnout is a mental and physical reaction caused by prolonged exposure to stress. Working long hours without taking breaks can overwhelm your body and mind, leading to potential burnout. You might experience gastrointestinal issues, headaches, trouble sleeping, high blood pressure, difficulty concentrating, and mental health issues.

Working with your body’s need for breaks instead of against it can help prevent burnout from happening.

2. Better Physical Health

Sitting for long hours at a desk running your business isn’t good for your body. Over time, you could develop back and neck issues from poor posture. Your metabolism also slows down when you aren’t getting up and moving around regularly. Taking just a few minutes to walk or stretch every hour can prevent chronic pain down the road and keep your body functioning properly.

3. Reduce Decision Fatigue

As a business owner, you make hundreds of tiny decisions every day, some without you even realizing it. All that brain power can lead to severe decision fatigue – a state of mind where making continued good decisions becomes extremely difficult. Pausing for even five or 10 minutes can reset your ability to make smart choices again.

4. Nourish Your Body

Many entrepreneurs get so busy with running their business that they come to the end of their day and realize they haven’t stopped to eat. Your body can’t function properly when it doesn’t get the necessary nourishment.

Stopping for a nutritious meal is a great way to take a break and provide your body and mind with the fuel it needs to help you conquer your goals. Eating the right foods – fruits, vegetables, protein, seafood, and so on – can keep you healthier and strengthen your immune system, reducing the chance you’ll need to miss work due to illness. Even on your busiest day, taking a lunch break is crucial. 

5. Improve Creativity

Working non-stop holds you to old patterns and ways of doing things. Walking away and doing something else, even for a short while, can lead to inspiration and a boost in creativity. You might find you generate some of your best ideas while people-watching or sipping on your afternoon tea.

6. Fight the Afternoon Slump

Sitting for long periods without a break slows your metabolism and heart rate, negatively affecting your ability to stay awake. Fighting the afternoon slump can be as easy as standing and stretching or taking a brief walk.

Working with your body's natural rhythms is also incredibly important for productivity. Try using the 90/20 rule – work on a single task for 90 minutes and then take a break for 20. The period of rest gives your brain the chance to recharge and replenish its stores of glucose to fuel you through the next productive session.

Breaks Give You Perspective

When you overwork yourself as a business owner, you lose sight of your other passions. Your relationships suffer and your well-being takes a dive. Working without breaks is unsustainable and will ultimately hurt the business you’re trying to grow.

Take a few daily breaks to reap the benefits and keep your health and company on track. You may also want to consider creating boundaries around the times you’re willing to work and when you need to shut off for the day, ultimately shortening the number of hours you work each week. If that seems impossible right now, starting with intentional small breaks will at least set you on the right course.