Making The Most Of Your ‘Downtime’

We’ve all had those days. In fact, we’re having one of those days today. There’s about 12 inches of snow making it’s way down all day, client meetings are cancelled, and we’re pretty much caught up on work. It’s a wonderful feeling to have things crossed off your To-Do List. Wonderful that is, until the guilt starts creeping in. If you’re anything like us, you don’t do “downtime” well. While you may be dreaming of cuddling under a blanket and mindlessly binging on Netflix, when it comes to actually doing it, you find it hard to shut your working brain off. And now it’s a snowy Tuesday, and while you probably deserve a day off, you’re finding it hard to get past that “I should be doing something” feeling.

Well, we’re here to tell you it’s ok. It’s ok to take a little downtime every once and while, and it’s also ok to want to make the most of it. We’ve got a list here for you of some of our favorite ways to take it easy, all while keeping your brain churning and your business growing.

1. Review relevant publications. Take some time to review the newest trends that are happening in your business, or better yet how to market your business. You may learn a new way to advertise, how to better optimize your current outlets, how markets are shifting, or how other businesses, like yours, are succeeding. Some of our favorites (for our industry of course)? SmartBrief – An awesome collection of business, marketing and advertising news focusing on newest and upcoming trends. Advertising Age – Check out what some of the largest companies and agencies are doing and brainstorm about how you can use similar strategies in your own business. Business Insider – After checking out a few of the entertaining op ed’s, we head on over to the Advertising and Media sections to get some of the insider information on what’s happening in the industry.

2. Get your learn on. Have you jumped onto the online class trend yet? If not, you’re missing out on one of the best ways to learn some best practices, new marketing techniques, insider secrets and ways to inspire growth. Learn from some of the best in their business and learn the same tips and tricks they’ve used to grow their businesses to become major players in the market. Amy Porterfield – A former business consultant, she’s completely transitioned her business into online training ranging from webinars to social media marketing. Melanie Duncan – The Pinterest queen, Melanie Duncan teaches you how to kick butt in one of the fastest revenue driving platforms on the market. Marie Forleo – The founder of B-School, Marie Forleo can help you get past any negativity or doubt that can come creeping in when you’re not looking. Courtney Foster-Donahue – A little quirky, Courtney breaks down the always illusive Facebook, and how to actually create Facebook ads that work. Hub Digital – Who can forget your favorite crew from Hub Digital? With classes ranging from prepping your digital content, to blogging, to getting your website to the first page in search (that’s right! Exciting stuff coming soon!) we’re sharing all our best secrets that we use to propel our small business clients.

3. Plug into a Podcast. Grab your headphones and listen to some of your fav’s without having to read through lengthy blogs. Better yet? Jump on a treadmill, pick up your duster, or apply a your favorite face mask, and you can now multitask growing your business while getting a little quality “you” time. Amy Porterfield – She’s back, and bringing in some of her favorite friends sharing their top insider secrets. Gary Vaynerchuk – If you’re not offended by swearing, Gary Vee gets real about all things social media, entrepreneurship and business best practices. The Fizzle Show – who says growing your business has to be so serious? The Fizzle Show hilariously takes on entrepreneurship and focuses on how to stay creative.

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