If you are a solopreneur or small business owner, chances are you are not just front of house ‘doing the biz’.
You are planning social media content, keeping track of finances, ordering stock, and basically thinking, strategizing and worrying 24/7.
Even on days you are not working in the business you are working on the business.
Even when you are not working on the business you are thinking about the business.
Operating at this level of intensity can feel energising and it can be addictive. Yet at some point you will burn yourself out or start to wonder why other parts of your life are suffering.
So how do you switch off your business brain and truly relax?
- Take a step back
I know, I know… the thought of stopping doing all the things almost gives you a panic attack.
Your brain is telling you ‘the things have to be done NOW!’, ‘if you don’t do it then no-one else will’, ‘If I don’t do this now then I will miss out’!!!
Stop.
Take a breath and give yourself the dual gifts of time and perspective. Time to really disconnect from the frantic pace and pressure to succeed.
This is tiime to unpack what your vision is. Where are you heading with all this work? Is it to where you want to go, or have you lost track of your vision? Have you become caught up in busy work that isn’t actually taking you to where you wanted to go with your business?
Maybe you are doing what others are telling you that you SHOULD be doing rather than what you want to be doing. Or maybe you are focusing all of your energy on the wrong things which aren’t really shifting the dial on your income but are certainly shifting the dial on your cortisol levels.
Taking time to step away or step above the daily grind can allow you to confirm you are heading in the right direction OR that you have gotten a little side-tracked and need to re-assess and re-align your tasks with your vision. Taking time to give yourself a little compassion and identify how how you can develop a more balance approach to work and life so that your workload is sustainable over the long haul.
2. Use time blocking
Rather than a to-do-list which can be a never-ending list that never gets completed, can you start to block your day by outcomes or types of task.
This helps in a few ways. One, it gives boundaries on a task so instead of getting lost for hours on social media content development you block out an hour and stick to that. Have you ever noticed that a task expands to fit the time you allow it? Give yourself time limits and you will be surprised at what you accomplish.
Two, it can be helpful when undertaking those tasks you constantly avoid (hello, finance). It helps you to know that you only need to do it for 30 minutes. Focus, do it, finish. Done
3. Explore healthy habits that get you out of your mind & into your body.
When was the last time you did something fun? Can you remember what was fun? Can you combine fun and exercise, so you are not only getting out of your head but you are attending to your physical well-being, something that often gets lost as the business gets busier.
Physically moving the body, especially if you are concentrating on how you move is one of the best ways to stop thinking, planning, strategizing and worrying. For that one hour of yoga or 30 minutes of tennis, all you can do is concentrate on how your body is moving.
Turning off your business brain for some well-earned respite should be a non-negotiable. Your personal health and business wealth will be all the better for it.
If you would like some assistance in getting your mindset and work/life balance back in check reach out and we can have a chat to see if coaching is right for you.
Email or book a discovery call through the booking page links.
