The off-season is a time for regrouping and preparing yourself for the upcoming year. While it should not be seen as a ‘break’ from your business (there is no such thing!), you will certainly be finding more time to work on personal development.

During the peak season, you may find yourself bound to your email at all hours of the week (hey, it happens to the best of us!). However, as your year’s work winds down, it is time to be even stricter about your time management – for the right reasons. Set aside some time each week for your top business priorities – it could be taking efforts to streamline, public relations efforts, and other housekeeping tasks that will help in getting you ready for the next season.

Ask yourself what kinds of things you tend to push off during your busy periods and address those matters when you are not quite so overwhelmed with events each and every weekend. It could be updating your website or really buckling down on social media, as long as it will ease up your workload for the year ahead. Your future self will be thanking you later!

With that said, there is a lot more to you than just your job (believe it or not), so a healthy balance between your work and your personal life makes for a happy and grounded existence.

When you are not making efforts to prepare for the next season, it is important for you to explore other hobbies and personal joys that bring out your other passions in life. Spend quality time with family and friends as much as possible. Try out that new instrument you always wondered about or learn a new language. Take a trip that you have always been dreaming about.

Whatever it is, your outside interests are what keep you sane throughout the peak season and, in addition to giving you something to look forward to, it will also remind you what really matters in life. For me, it is baseball – both attending professional games with my family and coaching my children’s teams. It is a great bonding experience for all of us and it is a good way to take a break from work and unwind with loved ones.

Although a work/life balance always seems like a far-off mystery, rest assured that it is manageable – and taking advantage of the off-season is the best way to achieve it! Not only will you be primed and ready to take on the next year’s weddings, but you’ll also be able to maintain your sanity and keep in mind what is truly important to you.

Kevin Dennis is the editor of WeddingIQ and owner of Fantasy Sound Event Services, a full-service event company based in Livermore, Calif. Dennis is the current chapter president for Silicon Valley NACE, and the immediate past national president for WIPA.