Take care of yourself!
In the sea of productivity tools, apps and systems, it’s easy to forget the simple things that we can do every day to feel less like life is a chaotic mess and more like a business owner, calm and in control!
One of the most powerful tools is simply taking time for yourself.
Because, having a bit of space to clear your head, gather your thoughts, think about your day, week or even your life, is important!
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you
Anne Lamott
It’s very easy to feel like we’re not keeping up, should be working harder, going faster, focusing more, doing more!
But keeping busy and sitting at your laptop for hours on end is not the same as being productive.
Because you can spend hours surfing the web, researching, making pretty graphics for content you haven’t yet written and on and on and on.
Stuff that just isn’t really important.
And sometimes that’s just because we’re overloaded and our minds need a break.
You wouldn’t keep working your body till it’s so exhausted, you can’t walk anymore would you?
So don’t do it to your brain! Treat your mind right and it will reward you with more focus, creativity, peace and calm!
Three simple things.
- Schedule time in your diary for yourself.
- Take regular breaks during the day.
- Make sure you take at least one complete day off every week.
Schedule time in your diary for yourself
When I moved to Corfu, this started as a morning ritual just because, well, I was now sitting in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen and I was just so bloody grateful!
It quickly became a habit and one that I can’t live without now.
If I don’t take that time in the morning to chill out, get my thoughts in order, remember everything that I’ve got to be grateful for then the rest of the day feels like I’m walking through quicksand, very, very sloooowly!
And after doing some work with the productivity coach, Natalie Ford, I set it up in my schedule every morning.
Because it’s scheduled in, no-one can book a meeting in that time.
And just having it in my calendar makes it more of a priority, it’s an important event in my day!
This is not just a way of procrastinating. This is the time that my brain needs to get itself into shape, to get calm, settle my mind and formulate my thoughts!
It doesn’t need to be in the morning, whatever time is best for you but do schedule time every day to take that step back and let your brain have a much-needed rest!
Take regular breaks throughout the day.
I’ve always done this, even when working in an office. Getting away from my laptop and just taking a break from what I was doing has always helped to re-focus.
There are techniques that some use like Pomodoro, where you have a timer and work for 25 minutes, then take a break.
But I find that can interrupt my focus – when I’m in the zone, I like to keep that going as long as it lasts!
So for me, it’s about taking a break at logical intervals. When I’ve finished a call with a client, after doing a solid piece of work, before I move onto the next project.
Where there’s a natural break in what I’m doing, that’s where instead of just cracking on with the next task, I’ll take a few minutes, sometimes more, and do something completely unrelated.
I don’t scroll social media, look at my emails or tidy up my files!
I’ll put the washing out, make a cup of coffee, sit outside, move something in the garden, cuddle a cat, take the rubbish out.
Anything that gives my brain a bit of a rest from work!
Take a whole day off!
When it’s your own business and you set the schedule, it’s too easy to get into the habit of working every single day. Without a break.
Because you’re feeling the pressure to “hustle”, to work harder, longer and move towards your goals more quickly!
We’ve all done it. Pulled an all nighter, worked all weekend to hit a deadline, to get shit done.
But you can’t keep that up forever.
One of the reasons I left corporate was to get away from that mentality. The world where if you’re not on email at 11pm at night, then you’re not “dedicated”.
It was bullshit then and it’s bullshit now that I work for myself.
Your body and mind needs time to relax, re-charge, have fun, enjoy life!
Because if you’re not doing that, being happy, then what’s it all about?
Building a business is a long journey and just like a car, you need to make regular pit stops on the way so the engine doesn’t get burned out.
It helps to have at least one day a week that is always your “weekend”. I found that if I worked without a routine like that, I just ended up working longer and less productively.
So, although I don’t have to stick to the work week and Saturday/Sunday weekend schedule, it makes it a lot easier to just set the weekend aside to live my life.
And even better, when I get back on Monday mornings, I feel ready, energised and raring to go!
Hope you enjoy these tips and let me know in the comments if you try them out and whether they work for you or not!
