Many people who run small businesses have to do everything themselves in the early stages. How often do you take a break to re-charge your energy levels before embarking on the next task? It’s all too easy to plough through the workload and get the job done quickly, but could it be done better if you were a little more relaxed?

Think back to a time when you were employed – you had designated break and lunch times to give you a break from your work-station. You should do this too in your own business. Walking away for as little as 15 minutes can really help productivity and the quality of your work. Here are a few ideas to help relax you if you work from home:

• Water the plants in the garden (during summer)
• Take a short walk around the block
• Close the office door and have lunch downstairs and watch TV for half an hour
• Make time to have a drink break away from your desk
• Walk to the shops for a newspaper, then read the paper during the next break

If you don’t usually give yourself a break during the day try it today. Take a short 15 minute break at 10:30 and see how much better you feel afterwards