Self-care is something that we always think of, we know the importance and know we must take the time for it, but many of us feel we are unable to incorporate it into our daily routine as we are too busy and are always prioritising ourselves last.
As a Mompreneur, there are always a hundred things on the list. Each day we are struggling to stay on top of everything, while keeping our sanity. Caring for the family, looking after children, keeping your house organised and clutter-free, meetings, and catching up on work.
Sometimes, we forget that caring for ourselves is as important as the above-listed things or even more important. Here’s the thing: if you want to be successful as an entrepreneur, you will have to take care of your own well-being, you will have to take that time out for yourself that you not only need but you totally deserve! And this will not happen on its own.
If you keep waiting for the day when you will have time for yourself, you will be waiting forever!! Let me confess, I thought the same until I realised one day that I need to stop doing this to myself. That’s when I started thinking about what changes I needed to bring to be able to create more time for myself. Are there any habits that need changing? Do I need to hire or outsource? Shall I change my work routine?
In this blog, I’m sharing 5 strategies that enabled me to create more time for myself and live a happier and less-stressful life:
Understand what self-care really means
Self-care involves doing anything that you love and really want to do. It means enjoying the time being yourself, with yourself and feeling happy about it.
For example, if you love reading books, self-care is taking the time out to read the books you love.
If you love painting, incorporating self-care into your routine would mean ensuring you take the time out to paint – whatever your passions are, whatever brings you joy, self-care is setting aside time for yourself to enjoy those passions and feel joy.
I would suggest spending 10 minutes in a quiet place and thinking about the things you really want to do, things that make you happy, things that make you feel good. List all of them on a piece of paper or create a vision board. I love creating a vision board each year as it reminds me about where I want to be at the end of the year, and also motivates me to wake up each morning and work towards my goals.
5 Ways to incorporate Self-Care
1. Incorporate self-care in your daily/weekly routine
For most of us, we typically focus more on the things that we have on our to-do list…all the things we must do, all the things we consider important go on that list.
So, the first thing you might need to change is your perspective that self-care isn’t a priority.
Remember, if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of others and that includes all those items on your to-list that is for your work, family or for your kids!
Add self-care to your to-do list and block out time each day, if not day, each week to spend on things that you love doing.
For me, reading brings me peace and brings me calm. So, I set aside time each day for me to read. Whatever your peace and calm is, set aside a specific time for you to participate in it.
Most importantly – do not skip it. That time for you is sacred. I like to have it at the same time each day. This way, I know exactly when it will happen, and I work my schedule around that time.
Ways to ensure you do not skip are simply asking yourself: WHEN and WHERE…. How will I implement this?
Ensuring you have a set time block to do the things you need for your self-care will ensure you actually follow through with doing them!
I want you to “set your implementation intention” when setting those habit self-care tasks as recommended by James Clear, the author of the international best-selling book Atomic Habits.
He provided this amazing formula to help set implementation intention. It helped me stick to good habits and will surely help you too…write down:
I will [BEHAVIOUR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].
Setting implementation intention gives you complete clarity around what it is you are doing, when you will do it and where.
Leaving no room for “I didn’t have time” or “I didn’t have the space to do it in”. You are much more likely to complete your self-care tasks when you have an implementation intention in place!
Here are some examples:
I will read for 15 minutes at 9 p.m. every night in bed.
I will work ON my business every Friday at 3 p.m. in my office
I will practice self-care every Sunday after lunch
2. Meditate and breathe
3. Start a Manifestation Journal
Manifestation is something so powerful that a lot of people are yet to harness. It takes a huge amount of positivity and having a good hold of your positive mindset.
Manifesting is using the law of attraction to attract what it is you want in life towards you. This is done through your thoughts, behaviours, and your energy.
Essentially, grab a manifestation journal where you can write down all the things in life that you want to attract. It can be anything! Small or huge!
Journaling what it is you want to attract allows you to release your thoughts and energy onto paper. It is a handheld reminder of what it is you truly desire.
The main thing to consider when starting out is clarity be clear on what you want and open. Be open to what it would be like to be the person with everything you desire. What would they look like, sound like, act like? Imagine what it would feel like to be that person. This way, you are opening yourself up to those possibilities and you becoming and stepping into that person.
It is also very important to journal about any limiting mind beliefs – that is – things that are holding you back. Do you not feel worthy? Do you not feel deserving?
Write down these things and ask yourself “why am I not worthy?” or “why am I not deserving.” Write down anything that comes to mind. Pushing away negative feelings does not fully help get rid of them. But allowing your body and mind to process your feelings allows you to move on from them.
I highly recommend checking out the 26 Day Manifestation Momentum Journal by Destiny Drive. It is an amazing resource with journaling prompts, life assessment activities, block clearing tools and so much more! I am totally loving it!
4. Exercise and stay active
Staying active and exercising releases endorphins. Endorphins are what help us stay happy!
Even if you aren’t an active person or going to the gym isn’t your thing, doing a daily walk while listening to your favourite tunes or podcast is a great way to boost your mood and well-being.
Grab a friend and go on walks or get yourself to an activity such as gym or yoga, swim at the local pool or play a round of tennis at your local court. Your body and mind will thank you for it!
5. Leave the ‘Do it Yourself’ Mentality and Instead Get the Support You Need in Business.
When we run our own business, we wear all the hats. There is so much to consider and so much to do! But, that’s okay. The problem comes when you get stuck in that phase and are not able to free yourself from the daily grind.
We all need to remember that we are humans, not robots and we cannot do it all. And it’s okay to get support. There are a few other signs why you need to take action and get support:
- You simply don’t have the time or energy to do everything in your business.
- You are working long hours, struggling to meet deadlines, and working on weekends/ holidays. All of this resulting in loss of sleep and quality time with friends and family.
- You are spending more time looking for answers trying to figure out things that are out of our zone of genius and keeping your focus away from profit-generating activities.
- You just don’t find pleasure in doing all the things you need done in our business
Hiring either an employee, or outsourcing work to a Virtual Assistant (VA) or a Virtual Business Manager(VBM) can save you so much time, energy, and sanity!
It can help you get your freedom back to do the things you love.
I have recently hired an Executive Assistant to help me in my business because I know, I just can’t do it all.
RESULT: I now have fewer hours working on client projects and MORE time working on my own business. I am more likely to show up at networking events, attend masterclasses, and work on my business. I have more time with my family, friends, and I get to do what I truly love to do in my work life: building my own business.
But I could not have done this on my own. Yes, I have built something incredible independently however there was no way I could continue to build it up without getting support.
And I want the same for you. If you are feeling burnt out or stagnant in your business because you don’t have the time to grow it…I am here for you! This is exactly why I do what I do: to help other business owners grow their businesses and generate quicker results.
Let me take some work off your plate so you have more time to focus on the things you want to focus on.
Outsourcing can be scary (trust me, I know because I have done it) but I can honestly say it has been such a blessing.
So, stop holding yourself back from growing and moving forward. Get in contact with me today on how I can help you get your time back and grow your business!
Wrapping it up
There are two books that have helped me write this blog today and taught me some of the tips I have given you so I wanted to recommend them to you as they have helped me immensely.
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird
If you do give them a read, let me know what you think!
