A strategy I learned quickly and well in my early stages of entrepreneurship was that I got to choose which 8 hours a day I work. (A snarky associate suggested it was more like which 20 hours she chose to work…) As an early riser, I often have more done by 9AM than many accomplish by 2PM. Without phones ringing or a deluge of email, I’m able to laser focus and move through correspondence, writing, planning and mulling before most people hit their offices.
Going for a shiatsu treatment, as I did yesterday at 4, is a way I reward myself. While waiting for the practitioner to finish up with his previous appointment, I was able to fit in a business call while standing on his front porch overlooking a salt marsh in Fairfield. No need to explain my whereabouts or why the call needed to be brief.
A colleague of mine always says, “My office is in my pocket.”
Block in time for yourself on your calendar and treat it as an appointment, as you would with any other commitment you make. No need to share with anyone that those hours you’re booked are for a haircut. It’s nobody’s business but your own.
Self-care is a critical component of success. Deprivation is the bane of many business owner’s existence. My recommendation is to schedule in your personal needs along with your business needs and show up for both with equal enthusiasm and respect.
This so resonated with me, Jane. I frequently work at 6am or 10pm and occasionally squeeze in a pedicure or a workout in the early afternoon. One of the great joys of being an entrepreneur is being able to honor our peak work times of the day. I even calendar my gym time.
I recently interviewed for a design job where the client, also an entrepreneur, wanted to know if I took my job seriously or just did it part-time on the side. I asked her how many hours a week she puts into her business and she said 60-70. My response “so do I.” When I work those hours is not her concern (nor is how I handle my child care), as long as I provide her with top quality service. I did not get the job but then again I found out from her question that she was not my ideal client.
Love it. LOVE IT.
There was a time (when my youngest was still very young) that I did my best artwork in the middle of the night when the whole house was in quiet slumber…. no phones, no noises, no distractions… just total focus. You are right, that IS the beauty of being an entrepreneur.
I am one of those that needs to be reminded every so often to take care of “me,” as I tend to put that off. This year, however, I’ve made a commitment to myself to do better, and posts like this encourage me to persevere.
Thank you, my friend!
MY favorite relaxation is soaking in the tub with a good book!
This post is wonderfully synchronous with a post in my own blog earlier this week: “Are You Kind to Yourself?” http://www.heartspoken.com/2011/06/are-you-kind-to-yourself/. Work-life balance is so important, and even at age 61, I get out of balance way too easily. When you work from home, it’s a challenge to leave the work at the office. Thank you for the great reminder.
I work from home most of the time, and lately I’ve started what I call my 4:00 break. I go to my yoga room, close the door and enjoy the quiet with breathing & yoga (mostly stretching my neck & back from sitting). Heavy curtains keep the room pretty dark even at midday. Sometimes I take 5 minutes, sometimes 20 minutes. Then I either drink water or make cup of Earl Grey (by 4pm it’s usually my second or third cup!) and head back into the office and feel more focused, For me it works much better than a nap.
@Elizabeth
Love the synchronicity of our pieces!
@Lisa
Great example. I meditate every afternoon, no matter what. I come back refreshed and restored. I can’t imagine how anyone goes without.
I love walking one hour a day, most days around 4 pm. I love late afternoon light. The first 20 minutes is usually spent with my head down clearing my mind, but after those first minutes somethings breaks and I start connecting back with the world around me, the sky, the clouds, the trees changing depending on the seasons. It’s a sacred time, always alone. Now that I’m in my 40s, relentlessly “pushing through” doesn’t work as well as it did in my 20s. Taking care of my self has become important.