Sometimes we all work too hard or get too caught up in what is going on at the office. It's natural because I think that for most professionals, our jobs are important to us and we want to excel at in our career of choice. There is nothing wrong with working hard but it's important to keep your job in perspective. This is especially true for entrepreneurs who usually have to work long hours to make their businesses successful.

I find that it's easy for me to spend hours and hours in my office working on resumes for clients, writing articles, working on marketing programs for BroadPeak, or networking. The work never ends and I can always think of something that I should be doing to expand or improve my business. I have been working really hard at completely breaking away from work for chunks of time to spend time with my husband. It's so important to remember that our loved ones are more important than our business and to make sure that we take the time to enjoy our relationships rather than letting ourselves get sucked into the never ending cycle of work, ideas, and more work.

Last week, my husband took a few vacation days and I rearranged my workload so that I could take a day off to spend with him. We drove to San Antonio to go to Sea World (we had always wanted to see the Shamu Show which was pretty impressive) and had a great time. We didn't talk about work at all...instead we just laughed and had fun together. By the time I turned on my computer the next day I was totally recharged and reconnected with my husband. The time I spent having fun helped me to rest, relax, and to be more productive when I returned to work.

It is so easy to think that if we aren't at our desks we aren't being productive. And believe me, when you are an entrepreneur there is always a feeling of panic when you aren't working because if you don't work you don't make money. I find that when I take a little time off work to focus on what is really important in my life (family) that I return to work with a renewed focus and energy that makes me a little more efficient and effective at what I do.

So, don't forget to have fun with your loved ones...that is really what life is all about and you may find that your work improves when you take time off to enjoy life a bit.

Happy 4th of July!