The lunch break. At your desk. Another subpar sandwich. Three bites into that sandwich, and your phone buzzes. You already know you're going to check it.
You call up the potential new client, lose track of time, and your once-hot sandwich is now lukewarm. You used to go out for your lunch breaks, and you relished that time.
But the business kept growing, and you went out less and less.
Sound familiar? Here's how you get that lunch break back.
First, silence your phone. Completely. If you can't, it may not be worth heading out at all. Then there's email, best left unopened. Your next in line should be able to handle whatever comes up.
And even if your phone stays quiet and your inbox stays closed, there's still the harder part. Not thinking about work at all. If your head is full of orders, deadlines, and worry, it isn't much of a break, even away from your desk.
A lunch break free from your phone, email, and thoughts is the first stress test of whether your business can operate without you.
If it passes this 1-hour test, you're in a good position. And you probably felt a lot better for taking that well-deserved lunch break.
As you head back to the office, the next question to ask yourself is this:
When was the last time you had a vacation, even for a day, where the three items above didn't cross your mind?
You succeeded with the 1-hour test. But do you think your business will survive an 8-hour one?