Self-are tips every entrepreneur should follow
Even though you have achieved your freedom from money, well-being is a must.
If you’ve finally managed to be your own boss, you know that the road is all but easy. The drive to be successful can easily become an obsession, with the dream to reach our goals being at the forefront of every decision. But that’s not always a good thing. Neglecting your physical and mental health is not going to help your business. Burn out is a real problem and you’ll eventually reach your limit if you burn the stick at both ends forever.
Learning to take your time and care about yourself will go a long way towards making you feel better, more energetic and, above all, more productive. Do yourself a favor and practice these 4 self-care tips.
1. Don’t ask too much from yourself
Goals, goals and more goals. The earlier you understand that you cannot achieve them all, the better you’re going to feel. If you ask too much from yourself, you will simply end investing all your financial, physical and mental energies into something that will eventually fail. You’re literally putting yourself in the back-burner, and your well-being is going to be your first victim.
Don’t stubbornly refuse to give in if your body tells you otherwise. Anxiety and exhaution will take their toll, eventually, and burnout will only force you to reach a full stop.
If you feel that managing to meet every deadline that you must face has become an impossible feat, you’re probably taking too many responsibilities at the same time. Know what your limits are, and plan your business accordingly. If you just cannot achieve everything, find someone who can help you or rethink your strategy so you can minimize your efforts.
2. Take some personal time
The struggle to be able to pay your bills and still make a profit can be real, but don’t forget that your work is not, and should never be your entire life. You work to live after all, and if you end up living to work you’re never going to be content.Don’t skip your lunch to keep working through, do not renounce to your personal life because you have no more time to enjoy it, and above all, don’t keep thinking about your work when you’re spending some time with your family or friends. Getting obsessed with work is easier than you can imagine, and the consequences on your personal life can be devastating.
Take your time to enjoy what’s best in life. Enjoy a nice vacation, draw a picture with your little daughter, play some video games with your friends and have a nice laugh with your husband or wife watching a Netflix TV series. The more you are relaxed, the more productive you will be when you are back at work.
3. Don’t forget to treat yourself
All your work means nothing if you can’t buy something with the money you earn. Although everyday expenses and bills are a burden you must always face, spending a few bucks to pamper yourself with a small treat once in awhile is not going to affect your home economics in any way.
If money is scarce, buy something you like that is not so expensive to make you feel guilty, like a delicious cake you can enjoy with your spouse or children, or a nice pair of glasses. If you earn enough to indulge in more expensive gifts, plan a trip to a place you always dreamed visiting or buy that pair of fancy and overpriced shoes. Keeping your money under the bed is pointless: after all, you earned them with your hard work, so enjoying them to have some genuine fun or just to look cooler is totally okay.
4. Take your time to do things
The more hurried you are, the more stress you will accrue. It’s just that simple. Rushing things because deadlines must be met at all costs may mean that the overall quality of your work is going to be reduced, which is never a good thing if you want to keep your clients satisfied.
Take your time to perform every single activity, from waking up and eat breakfast to sort out your daily schedule before you start working. Less hurry means less anxiety, less stress and, in turn, better quality. It’s a win-win situation. If that means you need to hire a little more help around the office, do so.
The most important thing you should always keep in mind is that you come before everything else. Your self-care is just as important as landing your next gig.
How do you practice self-care? Share your methods for staying sane in the comments.
