The Art of Taking Breaks: Why Rest Makes Your Business Stronger
Rest might be the most important strategy to implement in your business this year.
It is so important to our lives.
And I don’t know about you but I didn’t start a business to live like folks with traditional jobs. I started a business to have the freedom that comes along with being a business owner.
Time-freedom. Freedom to travel. Freedom to create.
Yet, somehow I always falling back into old patterns of working long hours. It doesn’t matter how much I know I need to rest, there are times where I just plain forget to do it. This especially happens if I’m too focused on my to-do list or when I’m hyper fixated on a project.
When you've spent the majority of your life doing things one way, it's hard to rewire your brain and do things differently. But here's what I've discovered, it’s good to recognize your bad habits and acknowledge them. This helps you to understand why you might fall back into those patterns, simply because you understand your triggers.
When I recognize I'm falling into bad habits, I can evaluate what's going on and help myself do what's best for my body, brain, boundaries, and bandwidth.
Taking Breaks Doesn’t Mean You’re Lazy
Whoever started this idea that “rest = laziness” doesn’t live in a body with chronic illness. Nor do they have a neurodivergent brain.
If they dealt with either of those things, they’d know that rest is important and they’d value it more.
If you've been following my story, you know about my burnout experience; how I literally had to step back and completely rethink how I approach my business after I landed myself in bed for six months.
And honestly…the recovery period wasn't only six months. It took actual years to get back to where I am today.
When I think about taking breaks now, I remind myself that:
Breaks actually give more than they subtract in my life.
If you feel like you're saving time by not taking breaks, it’s simply not true. If you burn out, it takes away a lot more than if you’d just taken the break in the first place.
I would rather do things in a slow and intentional way now and allow myself the time away so that I don't burn out again.
Signs You Need a Break
There are some early warning signs that can be pretty subtle at first. But if you’re on the verge of burn out, they’ll be there. When you know what to watch out for, you can spot these things, especially if you try to reflect on your energy levels daily and weekly.
For me, the cues show up in my body, my brain, and my boundaries. And the cues are all different and can come in different combinations.
Here are some common body signals I get:
My wrists start hurting or my eyes feel strained and sensitive, I get neck tension from hunching over my laptop for hours, my lower back hurts or my legs (from not getting up to walk during breaks), and I have general physical exhaustion that sleep doesn't seem to fix.
Here are some common brain signals I get:
I find that I’m not able to focus like usual, my brain ends up feeling extra foggy or scattered, and I start forgetting common words when speaking. Sometimes, my work just feels extra hard at the moment. I’ll especially feel apathy towards my work when I’m in burn out.
Here are some common boundary signals I get:
Imposter syndrome and/or a lack of confidence starts creeping in more than usual, I start feeling overwhelmed by simple decisions and can’t seem to decide on anything, and everything starts feeling urgent, even when I know for a fact that it's not.
Here are some other signs that might feel familiar to you:
You've been staring at your work for ages, but nothing feels quite right and you can’t seem to move on from the current project.
Your usual creative process feels more like a chore than creative joy.
Tiny mistakes keep popping up in your work - ones you'd normally catch right away.
And just thinking about opening your email or social media makes you want to wrap yourself up in a blanket burrito and hide out for the rest of the day (or even the week).
If you're nodding along to any of these, you're not alone.
Recognizing these signs is actually the first step toward building a more sustainable way of working.
The Different Types of Rest
Not all rest is the same. Weird when you think about it, but there are different things you can do to feel rested. Not everything has to do with taking a nap (trust me, as someone who struggles to take naps during the day).
Understanding what kind of rest you need can make a huge difference.
When you're having a low energy day, your body/brain/boundaries might be telling you:
My body needs physical rest because I'm not feeling well, my brain is extra foggy and I'm struggling to do work, I'm overstimulated and need some low-stimulation time, and/or I've done something outside my normal schedule and need a transition period before doing the next task.
When you need a creative recharge, that's a different kind of rest entirely. You might need:
To step away from social media and consuming media to allow for some processing time, to let yourself be absorbed in your own inner world, to do something outside of your regular creative expression (play and experiment with something new), and/or find things that inspire you, like looking at Pinterest or visiting a local museum.
Knowing what you need comes from being attuned to yourself, your brain, and your boundaries.
Sometimes you won’t know 100% what's going on and causing you to need rest, so it's still good to take a step back and see if time and space away from things will help you get a pulse on what's happening. This is where energy reflections come in handy!
Practical Strategies for Taking Breaks
Let's get into the practical stuff. How do you actually implement periods of rest in your business?
1 - First, let’s start with basic breaks.
If you're just getting started with taking time off to rest, make sure you're taking even the “normal” type of breaks throughout your day.
My spouse has two part-time jobs and he gets 15 minute breaks at both jobs.
If his employers give him breaks during a four hour shift, why am I denying the same to myself?
Personally, I like to take my dog Josie outside and just sit or stand in the sun for 10 minutes or so. That means I get to experience the nice breeze and get a little vitamin D.
It's sounds so simple, but it makes such a difference.
2 - Next, it’s time to get started with Automation & Systems.
When it comes to taking longer breaks from your business, my biggest suggestion is to work on automating as much as you can and to put systems in place.
It can take time to get things automated, so it's not something to be perfect about, at least not in the beginning.
For example, I'm currently working on putting email automations in place. I just restarted an email list over from scratch, so I'm trying to slowly put emails in place without trying to be perfect with it.
The key here is progress over perfection. You don't have to have everything automated before you can take a break. But by having some systems in place, it will mean that stepping away doesn’t cause everything to burn to the ground.
Easy Steps to Implement Breaks:
Step 1 - Start by taking 15-minute breaks every few hours, just like you would in a retail job.
Step 2 - Take your breaks away from your workspace when possible (go outside or to a different room, etc.).
Step 3 - Begin building one simple automation (like email sequences or social media scheduling in Buffer).
Step 4 - Write down what you accomplish each day to avoid any guilt about taking breaks. When you see what you’ve accomplished, you should feel better about what you’ve finished.
Step 5 - Listen to your body's signals and honor what type of rest you need.
How to Handle the Guilt of Rest (Because We All Feel It)
Guilt is something that comes really naturally to me, unfortunately.
It's very easy for me to notice that "but I should be working on my business" voice.
Here’s what I remind myself of in the moment:
➡️"There’s always tomorrow." This isn't a procrastination method when you’ve already put in a ton of work for the day.
It's a way to tell myself that it's okay to do what I need to in order to remain whole and not go into burnout again.
➡️Write down all you’ve accomplished today. When you look at the list of things you’ve accomplished, it's usually a lot more than you originally thought you did, and it can make you feel better about taking a break.
I did this recently when I felt like I hadn't really accomplished much.
I wrote down all the things I did and was really surprised by all I had managed to get done. Even with small tasks, I can make big moves.
The Difference Between Rest and Avoidance
You might have the question, how do you know if you're taking healthy breaks or just avoiding work? And this is something you’ll have to evaluate based on what’s going on for you in the moment.
Task avoidance happens when you are constantly putting something aside even when you know you should do it.
It's not just saying, "I'll do it tomorrow," it's also saying, "I'd rather work on this other thing," or "I don't really want to work on that right now." And it’s not a terrible thing to put things aside and give other projects prioritization, unless you’re never getting to the finish line.
If the task is something you repeatedly put off, you can ask yourself the following:
Why am I putting this off?
What am I really resisting?
What feels hard?
If I took time to think of creative solutions, would I actually work on this task or project?
If you're saying that you don't have the energy and tomorrow might be a better day, that's a good indication that you simply need a break.
I am a huge advocate for “getting curious” about why you're putting off a specific task or project. Thinking through why you’re taking action or not will reveal what you need.
When You Only Have a Few Hours a Week
I know some of you might be thinking, "Amanda, this sounds great and all, but I literally only have a few hours a week to work on my business. How can I even afford to take breaks?"
When someone has really limited time but also needs breaks, I suggest trying to split your work into shorter sessions, at least until you’re able to work longer timeframes again. Do this to prevent burning out. Once your energy returns, you can slowly ease back into working more.
Try this: Instead of working one solid hour…
Try 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening.
Try working for set periods with a timer (there’s a bunch on YouTube!) to maximize focus.
Try taking micro-breaks between tasks to reset your brain. Go for 20 or 25 minutes and then take a break for five minutes before starting your next work session.
This can help it feel less like an intense work period and usually takes some of the cognitive workload off.
Why Rest Actually Makes Your Business Better
It sounds counterintuitive and I never believed this before my burnout experience, but taking time away is healthy for you. Especially taking time when you really need it.
When I think about my own creative work, I've noticed that my best-selling products and content have come after periods of rest, not during my non-stop work marathons.
When I step away and let my creativity recharge, I come back with fresh ideas and energy that I just can't access when I'm running on empty.
Rest isn't just about preventing burnout. It's about creating space for your creativity to breathe and grow.
As a multi-passionate creative, I switch creative expressions a lot. From photography to drawing to writing to painting.
I allow myself to follow my creative whims, and I've found that this actually feeds my main creative work instead of taking away from it. But I need to have space to rest or I won’t be able to do these creative things I love!
Your Next Steps This Week
What can you do this week to start building rest into your business?
Start small. Maybe with just a 15-minute break in the afternoon where you step outside or away from your computer.
Ask yourself the following questions: What does your body feel like when you're pushing too hard? What does it feel like when your brain needs a break? How do you know when you’re bumping up against your boundaries with things like communication, social media, and any other boundaries you’ve subconsciously set for yourself?
Try writing down everything you accomplish in a day when guilt starts talking.
And remember, taking breaks isn't being lazy. It's being a smart business owner who understands that creativity needs space to thrive.
Building a sustainable creative business means learning to work with your energy. Some days you'll have tons of energy and motivation, and other days you'll need to scale way back.
Both are okay.
Your creativity is your business's superpower, and it should be protected.
Join the Conversation
What's your favorite way to recharge when your creativity feels stuck? Let us know in the comments below!
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