Take a break.  Free your mind.  Grow your biz.

December is such a busy and exciting time of the year. Christmas, of course, keeps us all very busy and for little biz owners it can mean a big boost in sales and visibility.

But even more than that, for me December is a time of planning, dreaming & brainstorming. This is when I find it hard to stay focused on my daily tasks, I just want to take a break from the work and let my mind wander to new ideas.

So this year, I have done just that. Stuff that I normally would have waited until the new year to do (launching new ebooks, updating my website, revamping my brand) I got ready for December 1st. This way once I am done filling orders for my Christmas rush, I can allow myself a little break.

Not only is a break necessary for us to rejuvenate ourselves (we are no good to anyone if we are run down or out of energy), but it can also rejuvenate our little businesses as well.

I find that when I take a complete break from doing the daily tasks of my business, when I do things just for me (like taking walks & relaxing on the beach, sinking into a good book and a great bottle of wine), I open up my mind to new ideas. It is as though the daily biz jobs block me up from thinking creatively about my business. When I take a break I find inspiration in all kinds of places. And often those new ideas are just what I need to get excited about my biz all over again.

So I propose that we all book ourselves a little break from the day to day tasks of running our business (for instance: replying to emails, blogging, writing newsletters, filling orders, updating accounts, following up with customers, being active in social media etc.)

It might require that you get some things in place so the biz runs itself for a few days, or perhaps closing shop all together for a few days. (If you have a blog, get guest posters for a week or two. If you have orders to fill, change your delivery date to allow yourself a few days off. If you get a lot of correspondence by email, set up a responder to let people know when you will be back online to reply.)

Once your Christmas rush is done, spend some time just enjoying life for a while. Book yourself a break from the everyday tasks of your biz and open up your mind to possibility for your biz. I bet it will get you excited about where to take your little biz in the coming New Year.

(p.s. since I started my little break I have already been inspired by 2 big ideas. My notebook is already full of brainstorming and planning. I can’t wait to see what else comes my way!)