As an entrepreneur you have a strategy for literally everything in your business.
How to grow your audience, how to make more money or how to be seen as a leader in your industry. Everything in your business is strategically planned in order for you to hit a very specific goal which in turn, allows you to grow into a better entrepreneur.
So why do we not strategically plan for our own mental and physical wellness in the same way we do our content or marketing strategy? Why is that most entrepreneurs have to hit a serious case of burnout before they create some sort of self-care plan when our business would be nothing if we weren’t in it? No matter how many incredible strategies we use within our business to get to the next level, we are still our biggest asset. So why are we not focusing more on taking care of ourselves?
In this week’s episode we chat about how to create your own self-care strategy!
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I’m saying all of this because I have not always been good at taking care of myself, in fact I still have to be really mindful about taking time for rest. I thought the only way to succeed as an entrepreneur was to hustle to the point of exhaustion. That if I didnt feel tired at the end of the day, then I wasn’t working hard enough. If you’ve heard my story before then you know how that thinking led me straight to burn out and literally tearing down my entire business.
But what saved me from going back into the place of burn-out was creating my own self-care strategy. An action plan that I would practice either daily or weekly with the goal of giving my mind and body what it needed to be able to perform at it’s best. And let me tell you, prioritizing myself over any business strategy I have ever created has done WONDERS! Not only am I not exhausted 24/7 but I physically am in the best shape that I have ever been in which gives me a lot of energy and I am able to think clearly which means I am able to make better decisions in my business.I don’t think a lot of people realize just how much your physical and mental health affects your business. I mean, if you’re not your best how can you give your best to customers or clients? If you’re listening to this and you’re like “I NEED TO DO BETTER!” I wanted to break down to you how to prioritize yourself more as an entrepreneur and create your own self-care strategy
WHAT FILLS YOU UP?
Let’s start with what self-care looks like for you. Self-care has definitely become a buzzword over the past few years and people often think of spa days and pedicures when they hear it. But self-care looks totally different for everyone which is why it’s important for you to focus on what fills YOU up and not just doing what’s popular or currently trending.So what gives you the energy and brings you back to life when you’re tired? What gets you hyped up? What refills you?For me, it’s an adequate amount of sleep. So at least 7-8 hours every night. I am not one of those people who can only survive off of 4 hours of sleep. I will feel sluggish and my attention span will be cut in half. Also having one day of rest and alone time is really important for me to recharge. Not only am I introvert who craves and thrives off of alone time but I’ve found that a 4 day work week tends to make me want to work harder. So Mondays are my days. My husband is in the office, my daughter is at school and I do nothing or whatever I want. Sometimes I will watch Netflix all day, or sometimes I will straighten up around the house or work on a passion project. The point is that I need to have one day of nothing in order for me to push through the rest of the week. If I don’t get that day then I feel like I never get a break between work and parenting.So what fills you up? What do you need to do on a daily or weekly basis in order to take better care of yourself?
PUT IT IN YOUR SCHEDULE
So once you’ve decided on what self-care looks like for you, you have to be intentional about actually doing the thing. The best way to make sure that self-care doesn’t just become a buzzword to you, you need to put it on your schedule in the same way you do anything else. If therapy is apart of your routine, go ahead and make an appointment and put it on your schedule. If you need a 45-minute nap everyday, block out that time so that you don’t accidently schedule something else over it. Protect your self-care time in the same way you would an important business meeting.Especially if you’re anything like me. Id i don’t write it down somewhere then it won’t happen. My naps or remembering to take my meds or working out for the day are all on my daily to-do list just like everything else.
SET BOUNDARIES
So I mentioned protecting your self-care time. Well this also goes for setting boundaries around yourself, your friends and family and your customer or clients. I mentioned how Mondays are my days and everyone knows that. I don’t schedule any calls on that days and I definitely don’t budge when someone asks if Mondays are available for me. This is because again, I know I need my days to do nothing. And yes, there are times where maybe a Monday can not be avoided but I still make sure to get my one day during some other time during the week.The thing about boundaries is that they are often only important to US. While those around us may respect our boundaries, they don’t hold as much weight in their lives as it does in ours. Which is why it’s important for you to communicate what those boundaries are with those around you and even express the importance if you need to. If you know you want to be done by work at noon, then stop taking calls after noon. If you know that your mornings are specifically for your prayer and journaling time, then ask your spouse or someone close to you to handle the kids morning routine.Set the boundaries that you need to prioritize yourself and clearly communicate that with those who may be impacted.
TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
How do you measure if a launch went as planned? How do you know if your most recent marketing plan is converting? You track your progress! You should be doing the same with your self-care strategy. At the end of the month or even at the end of the week, sit down and ask yourself, “Did I prioritize myself as much as I did my business?” “How do I really feel?” What can I do better next month or next week to better prioritize self care?”By tracking your progress, you are able to make tweaks and changes throughout your day to make sure that your self-care strategy is actually working and the areas where you need to do better. The kicker here is that you have to be honest with yourself and not making excuses for why you didn’t prioritize rest or just 30 minutes of time alone. Lying isn’t going to get you anywhere and you’ll just end up burnt-out in the end.Look, entrepreneurship is HARD AF! How mentally, physically and emotionally taxing can be isnt talked about enough. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to still be successful or that it isnt worth launching, you just have to be intentional about prioritizing you in the process!
