It’s okay to take time off. Enjoy Thanksgiving and the holiday lull.
Hey, I’m Michael Eckstein 👋, and this is ‘Ordinary & Necessary’, a weekly newsletter about the boring business topics that don’t get enough traction on the web, but will help you manage and grow your business. You signed up on my website. If you’d like to unsubscribe, just click the link at the bottom of this email. No harm, no foul, I’d love to have you back sometime.
Thanksgiving is this Thursday and, with it, we’re about to enter the holiday lull. Everyone is going to be busy with something that isn’t work and nothing major is going to get accomplished until 2021. (Usually, that was because of all the holiday parties, travel, and entertaining family, but this year we’ll all be busy with our Zoom holiday parties, Zoom travel, and Zoom entertaining family.) But, that’s okay. You don’t need to be hustling and grinding your way to success every single day.
The holiday lull is an opportunity to step back, take some time to reflect, and remember why you do this. Why you work so hard, why you put in way too many hours, and why you built your business. Then, when we’re back to work, you can recenter your business around your goals.
Take this time to reflect on:
Your personal goals – Your business exists to help further your personal goals. That might mean leaving a legacy, building a business for your children, or maybe working just 20 hours a week. Regardless, you need to know where you’re going and what will make you feel personally accomplished, if you expect to get there.
Your client list – Bad clients take up time and energy that you could spend working on good clients. And, nightmare clients are downright rage-inducing. With the year winding down, this is a good time to review your client list. Put an X next to your nightmare clients (think of it like Santa’s naughty list).
Your network – Business networking has totally fallen by the wayside this year due to social distancing. But, your network and referral partners are still out there. Send them an email, wish them a ‘happy holidays’, and try to schedule a few virtual coffees (after Thanksgiving).
And, spend time with your family – Not to sound like your partner/spouse, but stop checking your email all the time. Your business and all those emails will still be there next week. No one is going to have a business emergency on Thanksgiving that you need to answer.
Action Item: Set an out of office message from Wednesday at noon through the end of Thursday (or Sunday, if you want to go big).
Have a great weekend, have a happy Thanksgiving, and stay safe! 🦃🥧
Michael Eckstein
P.S. I know this is a little sappy for a business newsletter. But, stick with me, alright? Taking a step back and avoiding burn out is just as important as better invoicing. I’ll expand on everything in the next few weeks.