For some of you, you undoubtedly read the title, snorted and said, “Avoid burnout? I’ve been running on fumes for months”. Others may have suddenly realised that next weekend brings the opportunity to take at least one day away from what has been a year that can only be described as ‘different levels of stressful’ and enjoy the comfort of a day off.   

For any business owner, the working day never ends when you close your doors. Work is something that still happens after hours, on weekends, early in the morning, it happens everywhere. And this year, it’s been harder. Changing the way we work, dealing with furlough, worrying about the effect of Covid-19 and lockdowns on businesses, it will have an impact eventually, either on your physical and mental health or on your personal life, or both. This is why the team at Dakota Blue are recommending ‘stay home, stay safe, have a rest’. If you’ve been working your socks off all year, now’s the time to put your new Christmas socks on, put your feet up, and enjoy at least a day with your loved ones/pets/own company.  

Focus on your work-life balance 

We understand it’s possibly going to be difficult to take this advice, but set some boundaries, put an out of office email up, define exactly what is an emergency that requires your immediate attention, and just rest. Are you saying, “yes, but…”, we said it might be difficult advice, but it’s actually something that we should remember for other times of year too. We know of one business owner whose partner swaps over the sim card in his phone when they go abroad. If there’s an actual emergency, the business contacts the partner, so he’s never out of the loop, but he does have an opportunity to relax.   

Take a moment to breathe 

We know we just said don’t think about work, but at some point in the next few weeks take the opportunity to step back for a moment and reflect on the positives of the year. Did you manage to change your team’s working practices and introduce homeworking? Did your business carry on operating even though you were home schooling too? Now is the moment to give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done (and if it didn’t go as well as planned, to make a note to set some SMART targets next month).  

Take care of yourself 

Arrange to get some exercise, even if it’s a socially distanced walk with a friend or an opportunity to have an amble with a family member. A bit of extra exercise not only helps your mood through the release of endorphins, but it will also help you sleep better. Nothing beats a good night’s sleep, and it is a great way of recharging tired brain cells and bodies.  

Enjoy the moment 

So, it may not be Christmas as we know it and there might not be so many family visiting or presents under the tree, but it’s a moment you’ve worked for all year. Enjoy it, savour it, celebrate that you’ve made it.  

The team at Dakota Blue wish all of our clients a very peaceful and happy Christmas and look forward to the New Year.