Self Care Isn’t Optional
I can’t say enough about self-care these days. Entrepreneurs tend to neglect themselves often enough, citing too many things to do, deadlines, and more. But the truth is, you need it more than anyone because unlike those who have day jobs, you can’t leave work behind when the day is over—because it’s never over!
The business is you, and you are the business, especially if you’re in a growth phase. You live and breathe all the ups and downs, the tweaks, and revisions that will ultimately make your business thrive, or even make you the expert in your field you’re destined to become.
I hear people say all too often: “I don’t have time to [fill in the blank with exercise, rest, meditation, or whatever fits your bill]. I have bills to pay, launches to perfect, pitches to draft…the list is endless!” The truth is, you don’t have time to NOT take time off for yourself because if you don’t, you risk missing important details when your mind, body and spirit are exhausted. That pitch might fall flat because it lacks your usual energy and passion.
Passion is what drove you to leave the go-nowhere job that was stressing you out to create something you could be proud of, right? Passion is what keeps you going when you feel like no amount of caffeine will help you stay awake for the hour or two it’ll take to tweak that proposal a few more times. Yet if you’ve reached that point, the truth is, those tweaks are, in the first place, taking way too long to create, and in the second, unlikely to be effective because you’re too exhausted to put that essential element; heart, into your words or graphics.
No One Works Effectively 24/7
I’ve learned self-care can’t be a sometimes, when I feel like I can spare a minute, kind of thing. It 
needs to be part of your regular schedule like marketing, bookkeeping, content writing, and learning new things to keep your product or service cutting edge. It also doesn’t need to be overly time consuming. A ten minute walk or meditation can clear your head and increase productivity more than 2 more cups of strong coffee (and you won’t burn your tongue either).
Both will give you a chance to let those thoughts and ideas bouncing around in your head find some cohesiveness, and stop fighting each other for attention. They’ll let you rest your eyes, and your tuchus which, believe me, gets tired of warming the chair after awhile. You’ll release the tension in your neck and back which, whether your realize it or not, were drawing attention away from the task at hand.
As a writer, I’ve learned getting away from the computer for a few minutes can turn writer’s block into a flood of words that were simply damned up behind the cacophony in my head telling me all the things I needed to do. Over thinkers like me need regular breaks in order to quiet the critical voices in their heads.
A few minutes away from the computer; whether it’s a walk, putting in a load of laundry, fixing a healthy meal, or meditating gives me the opportunity to still those voices and assure them they’ll get the opportunity to analyze what I’ve done after I’ve had a chance to get it all down in a rough draft.
Increase Effectiveness with Regularly Scheduled Down Time
The principles I’ve implemented over the last few years (many times through trial and error) have helped me see how much more effective I am when I take those breaks, and still those voices. I’ve learned I get more done in less time when I stop for a little while every hour or two and allow myself to just Be.
It doesn’t have to be anything formal, although I do have a few things in my schedule that I insist on doing every day. Things like:
- Meditation
- Morning pages
- Walking before breakfast
- Live video
- Brushing my teeth and taking supplements
- Intuition journal
- Fixing and eating healthy meals
It might seem like these things are a waste of time that’s better spent connecting with potential clients, and otherwise building and growing my business. But that’s the point. These are the things that keep my mind sharp and healthy so I can focus completely on my business, and more importantly, my clients. They deserve my full attention, and if my nose is always to the grindstone, they’ll never get it. I’d always have 12 things on my mind I need to do after I finish giving as little time as possible to the current project or person.
Communication Requires Engagement
Have you ever been out with a friend or client who was constantly checking their phone, 
texting, answering emails, or anything but giving you their full attention? How did it make you feel (assuming you weren’t doing the same)?
Did you want to continue talking to them about shared experiences, or your vision for their company? Or did you feel like you couldn’t wait for the encounter to end so you could do something that made you feel heard and appreciated?
Communication is a beautiful thing, but it requires a speaker and a listener. When either party is distracted by something or someone else, the disconnection ends any possibility of true communication. As a business owner, your time is valuable, but it’s also limited, so wasting time on someone who isn’t engaging in communication is both frustrating and annoying.
Set Those Boundaries
Here’s where I talk about one of the most important elements of self-care: boundaries. Read this next sentence carefully:
You have the right to be heard.
You might even want to go back and read it again, just for good measure. What do I mean by “you have the right to be heard”? I mean, if someone isn’t listening to you when you’ve allotted a portion of your valuable time to preparing for the conversation, and engaging, it is both your right and your responsibility to respectfully request that the person either respects your time, and gives you their full attention, or ends the meeting/coffee/lunch/phone call or however you’ve chosen to engage.
Are you afraid of losing a client? Don’t be. Someone like that isn’t worth your valuable time because they’ll never treat the time you put in, nor quite frankly, your hours of availability with respect. They’ll take up more time than they’re worth, and keep you from opening up space for clients who will be worth the time and effort because they’ll treat you like you’re valuable.
Self Respect Demands Respectful Client Relationships
How many times do you see people complaining about a client who doesn’t listen to their 
guidance or suggestions, takes forever to pay invoices, nit picks every single thing? If you added up all the time spent on someone like that, you’d see you were making almost nothing per hour spent, and maybe even turning away work that would be more fulfilling and less frustrating. Why???
Your business is your passion project. Show it the love and respect it deserves by allowing time for self-care, and respecting yourself enough to expect clients to respect your boundaries. Only then will you keep loving what you do, and doing what you love.
About the Author
Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri 
believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.
If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook at Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.
Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming releases of ” Rebuilding After Suicide” and “Sasha’s Journey”.
