If you’ve developed a vision for your business, and you’re excited about taking the steps necessary to make that vision reality, you may believe you have to work 24/7 to make things happen.

But …

Working hard all the time is highly unproductive. And in today’s world, it’s simply unnecessary.

Some visions require you to go into a push, to work really hard for a certain length of time—sometimes longer than you might ordinarily work really hard—because you’re striving for a certain goal, and that requires that you build momentum.

But still, even when you’re in push mode, you must make time for self-care.

Shanda Sumpter, Queen Visionary at HeartCore Business™, calls this time “flex time,” or “restorative time,” and she recommends setting aside one or two days a week that you turn your phone off, take a break from business, and just relax.

We hear you: you might be thinking you don’t want to do that. Why would you take days off regularly when you’re trying to reach a goal as quickly as possible?

Shanda refers back to the idea of working hard, pushing hard, for a short time so you can live the rest of your life the way you want to live it.

And although she recommends pushing through the hard time, working through the push, she also recommends finding something that gives you a little bit of fun—consistently.

Don’t let it be random, she said, but ensure that flex time or restorative time is consistent, because the brain loves structure.

But when life requires it, don’t be afraid to work on that day off.

Strike that delicate balance between working hard, pushing through your comfort zones, and taking that space to recalibrate.

Of course, “space to recalibrate” means different things to different people. For example, Shanda said she has friends who travel constantly, speaking onstage at different events, living out of their suitcases.

She used to think she’d never want to live that life, but then she realized that perhaps those friends work their flex time or restorative time into their trips, spending a few or several days playing tourist in each town they visit. This type of traveling and exploring could be restorative to certain people.

So, with the concept of finding what’s restorative to you in mind, what’s so great about flex time?

1. Ensuring you’re restored (getting enough sleep and staying physically and mentally healthy) supercharges your productivity.

People who are sleep deprived experience a significant decrease in productivity. Same goes, Shanda said, with people who don’t get enough exercise, or who eat unhealthy foods or drink alcohol to excess.

2. Working less means you get ahead faster.

Have you ever seen those shows where the performer holds spinning plates on sticks? As entrepreneurs, we often believe that the more plates we can spin, the more quickly we can make progress. Or, in other words, the more items we can add to our list, the more things we can do, the faster we’ll get ahead.

But that’s simply not true.

Dividing your focus can actually slow your progress.

At HeartCore Business™ we recommend focusing on, and mastering, one element of your business at a time: list building, a funnel, speaking on stages. Make sure the element you’re mastering currently spits out money, and make sure it’s spitting out money before you move on to another element.

Focus drives progress.

3. If your vision is so big that its achievement requires more of your time, flex time or restorative time can help you keep your momentum and avoid burnout.

You don’t have to work all day and all night, seven days a week, but when you do put your nose to the grindstone, knowing you can look forward to that flex time or restorative time.

In conclusion …

You’ll hit your vision more quickly and with more energy and enthusiasm when you build flex time or restorative time into your schedule!

I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment: how will you spend your restorative time? What revives and rejuvenates you?