In this article, we’ll explore a few occasions where life may “interrupt” your career and the steps you can take to navigate your way through this time.
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You’re involved in an accident.
19% of small business owners work over 60 hours a week. That’s a significant amount of hours over the traditional work week (36.5 hours). Despite this, many business owners are unwilling to reduce their hours or take time off – even when they’re injured.
While they may view returning to work when recovering from an injury as a sign of endurance and determination, it actually indicates that you’re not taking care of yourself properly. As a result, if you’re recovering from an injury, you must take time off work.
If you’re worried about the financial impact this could have on your business, you could always take legal action. For example, if you were involved in a motorcycle accident, you could work with motorcycle accident lawyers in your area to seek compensation. This could help cover the cost of losses incurred when you cannot work.
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You welcome a child into the world.
Many of those who are self-employed or run their own business do not take “significant” time off after having a baby. This is likely motivated by the fact that
caring for a baby is expensive, meaning that worries about the business slowing down in your business encourage you to head back to work immediately. However, the truth is your employees are fully qualified to take the reins for a little while. This is time that you will not get back – and you’d be surprised how quickly children grow.
As such, give yourself some time off to welcome your new bundle of joy into the world. Your future self will thank you for it!
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You’re experiencing burnout.
Sometimes, we’ll work so hard for so long that burnout takes control over our every waking moment. For example, you may find that you’re constantly exhausted, no matter how much sleep or “rest” you’ve managed to get. You may also find it hard to stay on track as your ability to focus dwindles.
Again, the solution to this issue is to give yourself a real break. This does not mean stepping away from your screen for ten minutes only to return in five – but a real break. For example, instead of checking your work email or phone over the weekend, turn it off when you leave the office and turn it on again when you return the next working day. This is a great way to begin to set out a better work-life balance and ensure your needs are met, and you’ll be surprised by how quickly you notice the benefits of this small action.