Studies have shown that working non-stop reduces your productivity and will eventually damage both your health and your business.

So please, stop. Take some time off this bank holiday.

As entrepreneurs the fuel that drives us is the adrenalin from new ideas, new marketing pillars and new customers.

But your focus on these things will improve after a rest, and so will your ability to make smarter decisions. You'll be more capable of implementing your business ideas - no matter what they are – productively.

Plus, while you're taking a break, you'll have the mind-space you need to think creatively and explore new ideas and opportunities. I have written before about the ‘lost art’ of thinking and why it is the most important thing you do every day. And its best done when you don’t force it.

Relax and let your mind create the insights to solve problems, create compelling copy and develop new marketing campaigns.

And if you think you "don't have time to take time off," then you're exactly the type of person who needs it the most.

So here's what I'm hoping you'll do today:

Open up your calendar and mark at least one day each week, or a couple of half days which works just as well,  as a day of rest and relaxation. (If you don't think you can manage even one day a week, start with one day per fortnight.)

Next, mark at least one day each month as a day for learning and thinking. On that day, you'll read some of those books you've had sitting on your desk for months, or study a training course, or attend a live webinar. You'll take time to reflect on where your business is headed, what's working and what isn't, and what you want to do next. You'll explore possibilities you don't normally get time to consider.

Life doesn't make time for you to succeed. You have take that time into your own hands.

To your success

Noel Guilford