Don’t Leave Crayons and Bedtimes Out of Your Business Building Toolkit.
When building a business, it’s important to have all the right tools in your business building toolkit.
That includes the right website hosting, the right accounts on the right social media platforms, the right content and marketing strategies, the right sales funnel elements, and the list goes on and on.
But there is one thing that we can completely forget to include in our toolkits.
It’s Self-Care.
Chasing the dream of building a business, or any kind of dream for that matter, has a lot of moving parts, and since we are the heart and soul of our vision, it can get pretty hard to remember to take care of ourselves.
It’s no secret that “to do” lists can be never ending, deadlines can sneak up on you, and the hours in your day seem to get shorter and shorter. But, when you consider how much you do for others in your business and personal life on a daily basis, it becomes even more important to have a routine to attend to your own needs.
The truth is that even with so much to do from day to day, especially as the most valuable piece of equipment in your business, you have to rest and refresh. If you don’t you put yourself on the fast track to burnout. AND even worse, if you don’t take care of yourself you won’t be around to make your dream a living, breathing thing.
But this doesn’t have to be your story!
Just by incorporating a few small habits into your daily goal chasing you can not only improve your productivity and focus, but also add yourself to your list of things to take care of.
So, in addition to the obvious things like drinking water, remembering to eat (yes remembering… I know how driven you are, but you must eat), getting up from the computer and moving around, and getting a daily dose of vitamin D — GETTING ENOUGH REST IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST!
And the smallest changes can cause the most positive impact.
So as you pack your “Go Bag” with all the tools you need for success, don’t forget two very important tools.
Crayons and Bedtimes!
I know what you’re thinking….And YES, I’m totally serious.
Why?
Well, these two simple things can benefit you because:
1. You have to have a way to transition the flood of thoughts around your ‘Biz building to do” list
This is where Crayons come in.
· Pick up a coloring book and some crayons. This process keeps your mind busy, but not in the constant overdrive that can occur with business building activities.
· It also helps you shut out the online world and relax for a good night’s sleep
This leads to the next thing…
2. Have a multi- level “bedtime”
What’s a multi- level bedtime?
It is a cut off time for different distractions that can keep you from relaxing and getting a full night’s sleep.
For example, you can set:
· A time when the phone is silenced
· A time when you disconnect from the internet (no tablets, laptops, internet, etc.)
· Then a time when you get into bed and really start to unwind and shift into relaxation for sleep. This is important because you want to get in the habit of going to sleep on purpose, and not just falling asleep in the middle of working in bed.
These are just 2 simple ways that you can replenish and reignite your energy. Some other tips to try are:
· Don’t take laptops, tablets, phone, etc. to bed. These items can overstimulate you and prevent you from making the transition into relaxation and ultimately sleep.
· Do some journaling right before bed. This will let you download anything running through your mind, and eliminate the fear and anxiety that can come from not wanting to forget an idea.
· Do some focused breathing and mediation exercises to help you wind down and ease into a calm state of rest.
No matter what method or combination of methods work best for you, make sure that you are consistent in your routine. It doesn’t help to find a method to unwind and get great rest, if you only do it once a week.
Lastly, self-care doesn’t mean you have to forget about how important your dreams are to you, It just means remembering how important YOU are to your dreams.
Originally published at medium.com