Being an entrepreneur has been one of the most challenging roles I have taken on in my lifetime. The multiple responsibilities and persistent engagement in all aspects of starting and growing a business (e.g. operations, marketing, sales, accounting/finance) can place huge demands on your time and creativity.

For me, constantly working IN my business constricts my ability to work ON my business. For decades I have struggled to take downtime, even during the holiday season, because I constantly felt the need to “be productive” – competitively hustling when others weren’t.

What I found over time is that this constant “busyness” impeded my ability to creatively view issues, problems and solutions. Today, working with entrepreneurs, I realize that this dynamic can be especially troubling for those founders and owners whose businesses feast off of open creative horizons.

In fact, making a commitment to breaking up your “busyness” can do wonders for your business.

Take Paul Bennett and Lani Bevacqua, founders of Context Travel. More than 20 years ago, in their late twenties, the couple grew tired of their corporate careers in writing (he) and graphic design (she). They eventually quit, bought a 38-foot sailboat, and set off on what ended up being a two-year, 8,000-mile voyage.

Pregnant and docked outside Rome, the couple found themselves circulating in a network of local scholars who were leading small private tours around the Eternal City. When I interviewed Paul several years ago, he told me how being in that environment helped him and Lani realize that there was a market for serving tourists looking to get more out of their vacations than souvenirs and photographs.

They were right. Context Travel became a leader in the small local tours market, setting itself apart from what was, up until then, an industry dominated by bland brands marketing the same cookie-cutter, large group, impersonal experiences.

Living in the Hudson Valley these last nearly 30 years, I have personally and professionally experienced the benefits of breaking up the monotony of “busyness” the way that Paul and Lani did. For me, letting my mind wander by taking myself out of persistent productivity has consistently improved both my creativity and productivity.

And the latest studies in neuroscience indicate that maybe more workers and entrepreneurs could benefit from downtime.

While people approach creativity differently, John Kounios, PhD, an experimental psychologist at Drexel University, breaks the creative process down into basically two different “brain systems.” One involves the quick, unconscious thoughts commonly referred to as “aha moments.” The other is more conscious and deliberate. And sometimes these brain systems work in tandem with each other.

For so many of us Type-A entrepreneurs, however, accessing those unconscious thoughts can be incredibly difficult if we are constantly being deliberate. That’s where unstructured downtime, like enjoying your family, friends, and vacation comes in. Like it did for Paul and Lani.

So give yourself the gift of guilt-free downtime this holiday season. Your health will benefit, and if you’re not careful, your business will too. Happy Holidays.

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Richard D'Ambrosio helps businesses and organizations define their brands and amplify their voice through his 30 years of practicing the art of storytelling. You can find him at www.storytellingthatsells.biz, where he helps entrepreneurs, non-profits, large organizations and companies translate their stories into powerful marketing content, including social media, websites, blogs and video.