Smart Solopreneurs: Take Care Of YOU First!

I was exhausted. I’d wake up after a mere hour or two of sleep, then my mind would keep me awake until I’d crawl out of bed and out to the computer at some ungodly hour. This, piled on top of too many hours spent sitting, and too many meals purchased through the car window, was taking a toll on my energy and my enthusiasm for my business. My choice to take care of business first began to override the focus on taking care of me. And it began to take a toll on that business.

Failure to Take Care Can Lead to Business Fails

Do you find yourself constantly battling the sniffles, fatigue, the doldrums, a slight headache or any other minor ailments? If so, you might be taking GREAT care of your business while doing a less than stellar job of taking care of yourself.

Continuing to neglect yourself could lead to future neglect of your business. Not because you don’t have the best of business intent and purpose, but because you can’t continue to run on empty.

[clickToTweet tweet=”You can’t run a successful business when you’re running on empty!” quote=”You can’t run a successful business when you’re running on empty!” theme=”style4″]

If you’re the glue that holds your business together, you HAVE to take care of yourself. We all face different triggers that let us know we’re failing to take care.

I know I need to dial things back when I suffer from what I call the “stress sniffles.” When I start sleeping even less than usual (it’s a standing joke amongst my friends and peers that I don’t sleep at all) and add even more tasks and hours to my workload, I get the sniffles, and sometimes a slight sore throat. It’s my body’s way of letting me know that it needs a little TLC and time off.

Bad Habits Can Creep In …

It can be oh-so easy to fall into bad habits when you’re dealing with a hectic work schedule. You might:

• forego exercise to meet a deadline
• stop cooking and grab too much take-out
• sleep less and wake up worrying
• skip family events to “get ahead”

We create a vicious cycle where work takes over and we start to lose ourselves.

[clickToTweet tweet=”It’s hard to connect & build community when you’ve subjugated yourself to your to-do list.” quote=”It’s really hard to connect and build community when you’ve subjugated yourself to your to-do list.” theme=”style4″]

Shower Yourself With Self Care!

How to fight back and shower yourself with some much needed care? It’s not hard if you make it a priority.

You may have to actively schedule downtime. You may have to set and adhere to “disconnect” windows.

Do you have a hobby or pastime that you’ve let slide to the bottom of your priority list? Do you enjoy an athletic activity that you’ve been ignoring in favor of extreme butt-in-chair time?

It’s important to make time for the activities that help you decompress and de-stress.

Call For Help Before You Need A Hail Mary!

You might also consider outsourcing overflow and the tasks you don’t enjoy and/or which take up too much valuable time.

The idea that an entrepreneur can or should act as a jack-of-all-trades has been refuted in many articles and discussions.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Being a #solopreneur doesn’t mean going it solo ALL of the time.” quote=”Being a solopreneur doesn’t mean going it solo ALL of the time.” theme=”style4″]

Careful collaborations can increase your productivity and creativity in a mutually beneficial fashion. Call on your crew to give you a hand.

Part of building a social business involves building a network. That network can help see you through. Even if you just need a reminder to take care of yourself!

[clickToTweet tweet=”Not much is social about a solopreneur who’s exhausted and feeling under the weather.” quote=”There’s not much that’s social about a solopreneur who’s exhausted and feeling under the weather.” theme=”style4″]

Take the time and make the effort to show yourself with a little care and you’ll see that sunny social attitude resurge!

Your Turn To Take Care …

How will you take care of yourself to in turn take care of business now that we’re coming up on June? Will you set summer hours? Work half days on Fridays or every day since the kiddos are out of school? I’d love to hear how you’ll handle going it solo over the summer!