28. 5 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Deserve to Take Breaks & How to Do It
Limitless Podcast —Episode 28— Taking Time Off
There is this misconception that entrepreneurs sometimes have that if they are not constantly busy working, they are not making money. However, Now, more than ever, taking both planned and unplanned breaks are key for a business to succeed. After being forced to take an unplanned hiatus, Jamie Ratermann talks about the guilt of taking a few days off and what she did in order to let it go and come back stronger.
Episode’s Highlights:
Debunking the limiting belief that “If I am resting, I am not making money”.
The formula: the better I take care of myself, the better my business will grow
Why you need to set clear boundaries.
I deserve to be at my best. My devotion to my health serves the people and me best.
Why your best self is more efficient.
Resources:
Are you looking to build a thriving business built on a strong brand message, money-making offers, and a resilient, growth mindset? Join the Marketing Mastery waitlist!: https://www.jamieratermann.com/marketing-mastery
Leave a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in to the Limitless Podcast, we'd appreciate it if you wrote us a review. You can also share it to help other entrepreneurs expand their network and create faster business growth.
Have any questions or want to leave a suggestion? Come say hi on the 'gram. Have questions about my coaching or takeaways from the episode: DM me @jamieratermann or contact me on my website!
Thanks for listening! Stay tuned to my website for more episode updates and other exciting programs and resources.
Read transcript below
Jamie Ratermann 0:02
Being limitless is knowing your success and growth are built on your radical belief in yourself. Limitless is honoring your purpose, your health and impact above all else. Limitless is about never playing small because the more alive you feel in your life, the more growth and success you attract. My name is Jamie Ratterman. And I'm a Holistic business coach, meaning I am just as invested in growing your health as I am and growing your wealth. With 11 plus years and brand and social media marketing. I help rebellious entrepreneurs, Master marketing and body leadership and say fuck it to the hustle. This show is here to encourage you to become more radically aware of your self imposed limits, to break free of your shoulds and to expand your brand into a movement led by you.
Unknown Speaker 0:49
Hello, lovelies, welcome to episode 28 of the limitless podcast.
Jamie Ratermann 0:53
I am excited that you get to hear my voice today, I recently had to take an unplanned time off. And I can tell you, it was not easy. So it's really important. And I decided to do this episode because I pride myself on really being able to create planned time off. But yeah, last week, I you know, after two and a half years, I I bet the bullet and I unfortunately got COVID. So I had to completely take time off. And I can tell you it was unplanned. It happened to be on that week, where I was really getting focused on all of my fall launches. There's some really big ones coming up, which I'm excited about. I had to move, podcast planning so many things. So it was really planned for last week. And it was something that was pretty new for me. So today, this is exactly what we are going to be talking about, we're going to be talking about, do entrepreneurs really take time off and how to kind of work through some of the mindset blocks that can come along the way because I recently experienced it, but also know that it was really essential for me to be able to do that for myself and for my house. So that is what we're diving into today. But in the process, like I said, I have some really fun fall launches coming up. In particularly my signature program Marketing Mastery is on its way. So Marketing Mastery is my business accelerator program. It is a 10 week program all about really identifying your brand, being able to consistently show up to get the most exposure to what you're creating, and to ultimately build offers that create results and ultimately have a brand loyalty within your clientele. But I like to call Marketing Mastery my money messaging and mindset program. So if you want any of those things, definitely take a look at our show notes because the waitlist has officially opened and I can't wait to talk to you more about that coming up. So let's dive in. Why is it so important to take time off? And really how can we turn down any limiting beliefs that may prevent us from feeling as if we are not allowed to take time off. So really like with how I see entrepreneurs, now even nomadic entrepreneurs for that matter, there's a lot of like working while on vacation, there's a lot of working from your phone, like how work can be something that if you run your own business that just feels like it is a part of every single day of your life. Now, I'm here to tell you, of course that that is not exactly healthy for your brain. But that is also something that can really turn into burnout for you. So when the question is asked do entrepreneurs actually really take time off? If you haven't, here's your invitation. So of course, there's two experiences here. So one is a plan time off. And another is unplanned time off. So a plan time off is where you really get to define how often or how much you're working. So I am a big proponent of the 30 to 35 hour work week, on average, I can usually hit that pretty well. But what within that, how how you can really structure your week to be the most efficient for you. But the unplanned time off can be really difficult for the fact that you know, you are that source of everything that's coming to you. So it could just feel as if like you're not allowed to do it. So I think the reason why this is going to this always feels tough is you know, call it capitalism call it hustle culture, we feel as if we need to earn days off. So we need to earn a living our life we need to earn, being able to reap the benefits of all that wealth, all that hard work that we've been putting in. So like being able to know that that is that is the thing that is the pattern that we're really breaking away from and why we might feel guilt around taking a long vacation or deciding to take off a Monday because we're not feeling 100% Or to deciding to take a Friday off to go see a friend or family how that might feel like we're not allowed that guilt comes up. But when it comes down to it, we need to debunk this idea that we don't earn living our life. We live our life begin with the support of our business. So that is one thing we're gonna be talking a little bit about today. But within that, too, it can feel even harsher when you are the leader of your business. So I've definitely talked and I want to empower you all to know that you are that secret sauce of what allows you to build this was big business, the wealth that you're looking to accumulate. But a part of that, really is knowing that because of that you are the leader of your business, you might be the only one making things happen, making things work for you. So all of this would make it hard for when you know that that wonderful, that wonderful pandemic of ours COVID turns like we had, I hope never none of you get it, I'll tell you a little bit more about a moment, or being able to decide that you deserve vacation, because you always do. So this is what we're what we're coming up against during today. So today, within that, let me tell you a little bit about my experience. So
Jamie Ratermann 5:50
last, last week, I had a full week ahead. I had a couple of client calls. Well portal is off to an amazing start. Of course, it was a sprint week as well. And within that to some networking, some big partnerships coming up along the way. So in general that week leading up to Labor Day was that was full impact of the ways in which I wanted to really set myself up for fall. So I was excited. I want to be very clear. I'm eager to get into my business. I enjoy every aspect of it. But I started that week looking at my calendar getting pumped about it. But also on Monday, I woke up with 102 Fever, the worst chills ever just like aches and pains, absolutely feeling awful. And then on top of all of this, some really offers really bad brain fog, like the idea of trying to work through the brain fog. It's like I couldn't really finish a sentence and even to be completely frank and completely transparent. This particular recording of this episode is the second version. Because I'm still feeling some of that brain fog. I'm still working through that. So I woke up, not at my best self, I woke up clearly, my body was telling me that it was fighting off something else that had nothing to do with the tasks I had to do. We weren't fighting the task list. We were fighting COVID for the week. So I woke up on Monday and had to make that decision where I moved a couple of things around. So let me be let me be completely open here where I tell you that I had to adjust the group program that I was running, we turned it into a calibration week I had to tell people that we're gonna I was gonna move our calls to the next day and then see how it felt. And then when Tuesday rolled around, I felt a little better but still not I still had a fever. So I was like, I gotta move it again. And then within that too, I was I was really testing myself each day go, am I back? Am I back? On Wednesday, I decided to test myself and I ran sprints so that means five hours of Sprint's that day to helping clients in that way. And while I can say that I came into those Sprint's at a good 70 75% My voice was shot, I actually had one sprinter go, oh my goodness, what's happening with your voice. So it was all like me testing myself midweek was again, that final sign that my my body was telling me that one we've got we're fighting something else, we're not worried about your work week, we're focused on making you feel better. And the best way for me to be able to get over COVID or to work through that was to clear my schedule. So that week, that beautiful week that was full of all of the exciting things I needed to do turn into many emails many ways in which I was having to move things around because I was prioritizing my health. So what did that really entail for me, I had to tell people over and over and over again that my health is more important this week than my business, I had to say that I had to I had to email and I had to tell people, all these things I had to let some people down, I also got to see some signs of who was in support of my core value. So what's really important about this episode in the way I'm wanting to talk about why time off is so important is that it's it's part of me it's something that is a to my core, when I'm always going to tell you is to prioritize your health over the task over your business, making sure that it is it is always your priority. Now this comes through this particular core value. And then many of you if you've listened to other episodes know that it comes to me in many ways. I've always been a little bit health obsessed. I am a health coach as well as a business coach. And then within that, too, a big part of the legacy that I'm going to ever take from losing my dad early was that we're going to prioritize our health every day. We're not going to wait until it's convenient for us. So knowing that when I talk about it being a core value of mine, it's I'm pretty I'm pretty.
Jamie Ratermann 9:53
I stand pretty strong and this core value, right I have reasons I have all of this evidence of why it is pour into me. So that being said, when I decided to tell clients that, hey, like, we're not going to do the week that we are because of my house, I had had two really important reactions. One reaction was people, of course, caring for me I had, the relationship I have with anyone who I worked with is that they like, of course, take care of yourself, well, this will make this work when it's supposed to. And that's lovely. I also had another client, and I'm saying these things, because I not to pat myself on the back. But to kind of talk about what comes next here is that I had another client who was like, Oh, thank you for modeling this for me. I don't know if I would take time off, even if I wasn't feeling well. But I know I should. So being able to know that even though I was having that hard moment of, of being of having to clear out my week, that I still was able to show like my leadership to other people, like who, what, how I respect myself and what that looks like. Now, like I said, 90% of those responses were absolutely exactly what I would hope from the people that I attract into my business who also agree that health is so important. But then I did have a good 10% of people that tested me on that, like I had, I have a number of clients running it right now where one was like, Are you sure you can't help me with this right now. And that was this test of holding a boundary where I know that my goal or my, for me to serve you best as a podcast host as a coach, as, as somebody who is sharing guidance on the internet, my top responsibility is to be at my best to be able to be as clear as I can and to be able to help you. So knowing that if I would, I was like, oh, you know what, you're my client, I'll help you out no big deal. And just decided to move past that boundary I was going to I wasn't going to give them my best. So again, holding that one part of this was that, like, my core values helped me set my boundaries. But I had to reestablish them, and define exactly why it was important to me. So for that, it was like, Yeah, to be your best coach. At this moment. Like I cannot give you the My best advice, because I can hardly form a sentence I could, oh, my there was definitely there was definitely a moment. There. I was like, I will get through this because it was not easy. It was not an easy week for sure. The other side of it was that I did definitely have people who I am invested in or in partner and partnered with that didn't respect my health over previous agreements, which was hard. I like in general, the when I find that someone is feeling sick, I will I will allow them to make some adjustments, or cancellations, that type of thing. And I found that some that I do have, I did have some people that didn't prioritize my health over our meetings. And that was really hard to be a part of, but also knowing that like, this was a lesson and being able to notice, like who else is aligned with my core values. This in this particular case, they did not they were not alive. So this side over the reason why I wanted to really tell the story and do this episode today is that one, I had a tough week, it was not an easy week. I as far as how I was feeling it was a lot of sleep and a lot of drinking water and fluids, and all of that. But the other side of it was me really identifying why it was important that I deserved that sleep that I deserved to be able to take that time off, and what limiting beliefs came up as a part of it. So it was really a big test, a big test of how much I care for myself, how much I believe in the longevity of my business and but within that to how I continue to kind of work through that now.
Jamie Ratermann 13:52
Well, I can tell you, I feel pretty proud of myself, like I feel pretty, I feel pretty strong in the fact that I held my ground, I still did have some little bit limiting beliefs. And I think these are quite common when it comes to when it comes to when we want to take time off in our business or when we decide that we don't need to be working tirelessly. Like how can we hold back a little bit, one of the limiting beliefs that I see arise a lot and it definitely happened to me as well is that if I am resting, the limiting belief is if I am resting, I am not making money. Now, with any limiting belief, I always want to encourage you to to really witness it be curious about it a little bit. So usually I'll ask the question, How is this true? So if I'm resting I'm not making money. How is that statement true? In some ways, I wasn't able to show up the way I wanted to last week so yeah, maybe maybe part of it was like I'm not things aren't moving exactly how they should but I'm but am I not making money? We'll think about that. But on the other side of it, how is this not true? So it's so easy for me to tell you why That statement is not true. So if I decided to not rest, I would have been sicker longer, my I would probably have fatigued a lot faster, I would have not given as best as guidance as I could have. So, health wise, we know or I know from, from lots of research is that the people who are more likely to take vacations, their sick days, more breaks, they are more likely to be more creative, more efficient, better problem solvers, and of course, experience less decision fatigue. So it is in your best interests to rest so that you make better decisions, it is in your best interest to rest so that you actually are focused during your work day it is in your best interests to rest so that you can come back with new inspiration and creativity. And I can absolutely tell you that even in my fever dreams, I woke up with some content ideas, because clearly I was it was something that I could share. So this episode all by itself, absolutely. So really an important part of this is that what what is really true, or the way in which I would change this limiting belief that if I'm resting, I'm not making money, the actual truth, the truth that I know I can believe in is that if I rest and take care of myself, I will be my best self faster. My best self is always more efficient, creative, and a good and my best decision maker. So if I rest and take care of myself, I will be my best self faster. So how can I make sure that I you know, argue a little bit with that, that nagging thought in my head and know that rest is actually good for business, rest is actually going to be the best thing I can do for my business. So in small ways, this can be you, I encourage you to take this into your day to day. So this can be where you decide to take breaks. So for every hour, or every two hours, you're gonna get a five to 10 minute break to, you know, eat something good to do maybe some breath, work to go on walks, whatever, whatever way you want to boost your health, we talked, I do a lot of that stuff, talking about it in the spreads. But even in bigger ways is to come back to this idea that your ability to create the best health in your cells, builds your wealth, the more that you are no moving and the more that you are resting, the more that you are nourishing yourself, your energy, your talent, your skill is going to build build your wealth in the long term. So reprioritizing knowing that like, without health, none of the rest of this happens. So diving into that another limiting belief that I definitely jumped into and I thought of for a moment was the only way to generate new interest in my business is to always be on. Like even, it's so funny, even as I say that statement. It's like, wow, this stinks of burnout, like wow, this stinks. But in general, this idea that the only
Jamie Ratermann 18:07
way to build a business is to always be on now, it was important to know is that this statement couldn't be the furthest thing from the truth. When it comes down to how you can build resilience into your business. No matter if you are solely online or you are have a physical location and an online store. You want to be able to build in ways in which you have some longevity with whatever kind of marketing you're doing. So this is you know, me getting into the the bigger terms of how are you building long term resilience in your business. And that usually can come down to any kind of longtail marketing that that can be blogging that can be email marketing that can be using more than one platform on social. In general, all of this is a part of it. But when it comes down to what I really want to get into here is that generating leads at the end of the day comes from two important things, both your expertise in the skill that you give, but also you live in your life. So we invest in people now I've said this before, but people invest in people, no matter if it is a product or a service, we are investing in who we're supporting in some way. And for many of the service based industry, like we are the people that are showcasing what our client's lives could look like. So you live in your life can absolutely create connection for your next client, you showcasing and being able to live in your purpose or being able to live a part of what you want your clients to embody as well is also a way to sell that's now maybe that's not going to be your first focus. But the idea is is that you don't always have to be on you don't always have to be high vibe. You don't always have to be this you know sparkplug when in reality, I want that Ask knew when you when you tell me about these vulnerable moments. So when you are feeling up to it be able to take a look at what areas, you can still continue to showcase your leadership you in what areas you might want to build some business resilience. But the way in which I interpreted this, or the way in which I showed this, is that last week, when I was feeling up to it, I decided to really talk about how I tested myself. In the sprint, I tested myself that I was going to see if I could come back last Wednesday, and guess what I was wrong. And I had to go back and really, really, again, to find that the rest of the week needs to be cleared for my health. So that was me not only declaring what was going on my business giving you that behind the scenes, but it was also me showing myself kindness, declaring what I was about the idea of me, trying to push through, I was like this, I'm telling you all that this is not easy. But this is this is what I'm about. I know that I was being true to myself. So I showed myself kindness. And I know that I generate wealth not only on my best days, but on my hardest days as well. Me being in my full humaneness and you being in your full humaneness is was what is going to attract people to trust and buy from you. So me getting vulnerable means sharing those tough days. that lights up my dams just as much as when I'm excited about a launch. So you are a leader, even when you're sick, you are in your leadership, even when even when you may not be that high vibe that you're hoping to be. So give yourself give yourself that one kindness but show people how much you show that you love you take care of yourself, show others how much you love yourself. And that can be that leadership that comes into play. I talked a lot about that even too with the boundaries. I'm not just because I have to take the day off doesn't mean that I kind of that I release all of my core values that day, stick strong no matter if you're feeling 100% Or you're at your 20% and needed. The last limiting belief, which I think is one of the biggest ones is that I had that thought that negative thought that came up when I started moving my meetings around my calendar around for the week is that will my clients think less of me if I lose my meetings? So in that thought, like underneath that thought was that me being sick was me being weak. Me being sick means I was somehow not worthy. Right? There was so that in that I was I had that now I feel like I've trained myself to really like have these conversations in my head. And as soon as it came up, I was like, Am I worthy? Yes, I am. Like, am I worthy of being able to have being able to
Jamie Ratermann 22:54
rest today? Yes, I am. So like, knowing that what I'm hoping to share what I share these beliefs is to help you have that same conversation in your head of like, is this true? Is this not true? How can I work past this. So like I said, I had many people that were absolutely, like, saw me and wanted the best for me. And in general was was willing to know willing to be like, Oh, hey, of course canceled feel better, oh my gosh, this is how I worked through not feeling well. But this is where boundaries come into play. This is where you kind of really showing people how you want to be treated. And also, by doing that you're influencing others of how you want to encourage them to take care of themselves. So by me, telling people that my health is the most important, I continue to show how I want others to respect me. boundary is not something that is easy to set. I think that I think that's one of the biggest things that I think people forget about boundaries is that one, once you set a boundary, you probably you're gonna have to set it over and over again until people know. And then and that in general. In general, they're like you are going to disappoint people from time to time with your boundaries. So two things happen. One, I felt so much gratitude and love for the people who are in my in my community. And knowing that there many of them were like, of course, there was no problem with that boundary that I said they want me to feel my best. But the other side of it was is that I also got to see people who weren't on board with that, then who who may not have prioritized, how good how much my house was important to me. So this is what is what I want you to kind of take from this if I'm worried about if my suppliers will think less of me. I am not thinking about myself. I'm thinking about others instead of how I am taking care of myself. So I know there's this I know that you've probably heard this metaphor before but once we fill our own cups, we can fill others and as we're bringing that right back how can I Know that I deserve to be at my best, I deserve to be at my best no matter what. So whatever I need to do to get there, I deserve it rest, moving meetings, for me chicken noodle soup Ooh.
Jamie Ratermann 25:15
But really within that is that my devotion to my house, not only serves me, but also is going to serve the people in my world best. So I get to say that, but I have to continue to hold that. And I know that the next time one of my clients is not feeling well, that one, she knows that she can tell me that she's not feeling well and I and we can make adjustments. But to that she's going to create that same ripple effect in showing other people that she's going to take that time off. Now. I'm a hosting business coach, I know you're all probably listening and going, Oh, well, I can't do that, Jim, because I run a different kind of business. Not true if you are running, or if you are leading a team of any kind, if you are somebody who is is serving clients, by being able to show your show what you are about, you are influencing others in some way, shape or form, I can tell you more than once that if you ever walk into a business, see how the leader treats herself treats him or herself. That's usually how the rest of the company does. I've one of my corporate jobs. There were people that would always answer their emails at 7am. And then we wonder why wasn't available to do that. It wasn't that the person that was above me was didn't wanted to answer emails at 7am. It was the how the leader did it, the way in which you conduct your life is always going to influence others. So that was one of the biggest things is that I had I was tested or I was I was pushing myself. And one way to know that the way I take time off actually will encourage you all to take time off, when I take time off, will encourage you to the next time that you might have this limiting belief come and go like know what I deserve to be at my best. My devotion to my health serves me and my clients. So I want to make sure I prioritize it. So all of these limiting beliefs are me encouraging you that if you ever feel like you can't take that time off. You can. Yes, you can. If you feel like it's because you're not gonna make money, we already debunked it if you feel like you always have to be on we already debunked it. So know that this is all very important. And I wanted to share this process with you because I went through it. I'm not saying that was like I these beliefs or these things that come up are absolutely something that I would love to share, like shed and it never never happens. But I can tell you that I was able to get past a lot faster by really processing them. So this is me really inviting you into that. One additional thing when I want to kind of bring in when we talk about taking time off as entrepreneurs is ways that we can really get re grounded when we're coming back. So when I am getting reground and back into my business one and one important thing to know is that whether it's a vacation, whether it's a just taking a long weekend, whether it is whether it is like you know getting over an illness, I have a bit of a mantra that I always kind of keep in mind, the better I take care of myself, the better my business will grow. So what kind of comes from that, whatever I, I'm opening up my email on a Monday, how can I take care of myself best, maybe my email isn't opened until I journal meditate, maybe my email isn't opened until I check in and get a good night's sleep the night before. So the better I take care of myself, the better my business will grow. So part of that also to like even when I go on retreats, or when I go on trips, I try to bake in like a day in between that trip. And when I start the week, just because I know that even though all the things that I'm doing are exciting, or the fact that I've been resting for a week is all really good. It's going to take a minute to recalibrate, to that business version of me that is taking on the task list for the week.
Jamie Ratermann 29:06
The second thing to think about when you're re grounding is always to take a look at your non negotiables list. Now this is a time management one on one, what is essential on your list and I'm telling you that this essential on your list does not have a damn thing to do with posting does not have a damn thing to do with your, your email does have a damn thing of even serving your clients or your non negotiables your essentials list is kind of the ways in which you get your power back. So this is where you ask yourself, what do I need in my day to day to be my most powerful self? For me that usually is a combination of some type of meditation, journaling and in some type of movement. So for me the as I started to feel better, the test was how how can I like you know write about how I'm feeling in my journal. The more the more clarity I had in the way I was writing more I knew I could come back. Also to movement movement was a hard one, I wasn't feeling up to my normal training my normal the way in which I normally conduct my week. So it was like, Okay, if I let me get walking, let me get moving and seeing what happens there. So the non negotiables are where you want to always structure your comment when he come back, when you're coming back into your week to be make sure you prioritize those things first, because for the business talk even begins. The last piece is being whenever you come back, come back in pieces. So for like I already said maybe taking that break in between in between vacation and your work, the start of your week is really important. But the other side of it is, is really being going back to essentialism here, what is essential tasks in your day to day. So I think it's normal. Whenever you have time off, you want to jam pack, your your your task was to do everything that you missed out on everything you feel like you're behind on the on that Monday, this is not going to be helpful. It's only it's like, it's like you left to rest or you left to go on a trip or you left to enjoy yourself. And then you come back and you burn yourself out on day one or day two. So this is where I encourage you to see, well, if I only had two hours of focus in my day, what is the most important task that I can complete. This is continuing to show yourself care while you're in your work week. So these are just a couple of ways keeping with that mantra, revisiting your non negotiables. And then of course, giving yourself a little bit of a break by knowing that I want to reduce the amount of the amount of things that I expect of myself, as soon as I get back from my trip or from or from not feeling well. So this is me, this whole episode is just kind of working through a lot of what was going on for me in the past week. What was what was hard, really about the past week is that I usually plan my time off, it was completely unplanned. So these nagging thoughts came up really fast. And I understood that, you know, it was hard. It wasn't it wasn't. But it was something that I'm going to get through. Part of this too is wanting is me wanting to share my experience with you that you take time off, that you enjoy your life I've in this episode I'm sharing all about it is absolutely an advantage. If you can take time off, there's absolutely an advantage if you can show your full leadership no matter what kind of day you're having. There's absolutely an advantage that you hold your boundaries and show your clients how to take care of themselves. All of this is an important part of your business. In addition to the fact that you deserve to the rest you deserve to travel you deserve to be inspired by your life. So do you currently have planned time off?
Jamie Ratermann 32:53
If you don't, this is my permission slip to tell you that you absolutely fucking deserve it. You deserve time off. We have three months three plus months left in our in this year. How many days can you plan to relax, rest be able to be to be able to enjoy your life. So this is important. One last piece here is don't try to tie it to goals. So don't be like okay, I'll take time off when you're like No, I deserve time off. I deserve at least two days off every month, in addition to weekends. Hopefully that's an easy way to approach it. So knowing that you deserve it, schedule it in and then understand and take a look at your current environment does does your current environment allow you to have days off? Does your current environment really support you? One thing I can definitely say is that I had a team who was able to handle the in between I some of my offers were able to still run even though I wasn't I didn't have to be 100% the whole time. So being able to look at how how much leeway in space do you give yourself if it would ever come up? But taking a look at all these things. So I'm hoping my from my experience from the lesson I learned from finally getting COVID I guess can be supportive to you here. So let me know. Share with me in the DMS share with me in the in the comments. When are you taking your next plan time off and I cannot wait to see you thriving in your life.