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Why You Need to Take a Break, Ep. 60

Aug 23, 2018

On today’s episode of Just the Tips, Dean and I chat about the importance of taking breaks, going on vacation, leaving the grind behind and resetting. This is a really important episode for anyone who is feeling the burnout, or who is eyeing an upcoming vacation with anxiety because they feel like they just can’t step away. Dean talks about how he sometimes realizes he’s a bottleneck in his business that’s unplugged once he’s unplugged, and I tell a story about an epic vacation decision that demonstrates how important it is to surround yourself with the best people.

Take a vacation

When we recorded this episode, I was just back from a vacation, and as I told Dean, even though I know it’s true, I’m always surprised by how good vacations are for me. It can take a few days to reset, but eventually I get there. And Dean agreed, saying that for a time, he wouldn’t allow himself to take vacations because he wasn’t happy with where his business was at the time. So he’d just plow through, not recognizing a break would do him good. This is all part of something we’ve been talking about: When you own a business, the goalposts are always moving, so there’s a good chance you’re always going to feel there’s “more work to be done.” If this sounds like you, you need to tune into this week’s episode of Just the Tips.

Break out of your own system

As you know, we’re all about systems here. But Dean brought up a good point. When you have everything running on systems, theoretically it should be easier to step away. But you also become systematized, and it can be difficult to unplug yourself from your work. For me, it’s less about feeling like I have to stick with the system, and more about the guilt I feel for not working. When you’ve been pursuing some sort of work for most of your life, the guilt is real when you take time away. And as Dean says, sometimes when he steps away, things progress rapidly and he realizes he was the one holding things back. That’s more a Dean thing than mine thing, but still, it’s a salient point. It’s a less-talked-about aspect of owning a business, and an important discussion on this week’s Just the Tips.

The six-inch putt

Dean and I chatted about how you empower people on your team both in your absence and in their day-to-day jobs. I told him this story of an executive coach I had early in my career who had a philosophy of a “six-inch putt.” And what he meant was that it was his job to make the final decision that something was ready. So in golf terms, it was the team’s job to drive the ball, chip it up onto the green, get it within six inches of the cup, and then when it’s a sure thing, he can tap it in. But if it’s not at that point, then it’s not his job, and it is someone else’s. So that’s how you empower people, you get them to see their role as important to getting to that six-inch putt.

You are only as good as your peer group

I told Dean this story about my vacation, where I was hanging out with a great group of friends who are all doing amazing things and really pushing boundaries. On the last night of the trip, we were in Albuquerque, and it was the birthday of one of the guys on the trip. So we were trying to figure out what to do for it, and I suggested something kind of crazy (Sorry, you have to listen to find out). Everyone quickly got on board, and we made an amazing few days happen. As Jim Rohn says, you will become the average of the five people you hang around with the most. This is a really great episode and fun conversation with a guy I try to limit my time with, Dean Holland. Check out this week’s episode of Just the Tips.

Outline of This Episode

  • [1:15] The value of vacation
  • [7:55] The dark side of systematizing
  • [14:14] Empowering your team
  • [19:30] The six-inch putt
  • [26:05] Hero syndrome
  • [29:37] The importance of your peer group

Music for “Just The Tips” is titled, “Happy Happy Game Show” by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Connect With James and Dean

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