New Tips And Triks For You

(Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)

For most CEOs and founders, spending time away from the business can be daunting.

Case in point: I am in Taipei for a week to visit family and celebrate my mom's 60 ^th birthday. It sounds simple enough but the truth is the decision to take time off was far from easy. I had to deal with some guilt and control issues before letting go and prioritizing my family.

For one, I felt my physical presence in the office was critical and I needed to be around for my company to operate efficiently. I kept thinking about emergency situations that might arise while I'm away. "What if something comes up and I'm the only one who can fix it?" and "Who's going put out all the fires while I'm gone?" kept running in my head.

I also felt guilty for being away from my team. I have already been traveling a lot for business and I felt like I was neglecting the office.

Here's how I finally came to the "right" decision this week:

Consider the value of taking time off

Recognize taking a break is necessary for your health and wellbeing. Numerous studies have linked overworking to various ailments including heart disease, diabetes, and more. Another study associated long working hours with a decline in cognitive function in middle-aged people.

I've experienced the negative health effects of overworking first-hand. When I don't take enough breaks, my productivity, decision-making and leadership abilities suffer-and people can tell.

Lately, I have been getting a lot of concerned looks and hearing comments like "You look tired" or "Have you been sleeping?. This made me realize that I can't be an effective leader and worker if I am burned out.

And it's not just about health. As this Harvard Business Review study found, taking time off can even improve communication and efficiency.

An experiment was conducted on the Boston Consulting Group Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in which consultants were required to take days off. While participants resisted the mandatory break at first, they soon realized its benefits. A consultant even reported coming back refreshed in spite of a busy week. The company also found additional benefits to taking mandatory breaks, including improved communication, learning, and results.