Over the past two years, I’ve come to have a lot of respect for people who are brave enough to start a business–especially those who have to work a full-time day job on top of running a start-up company. The intimate understanding I have of the creative entrepreneur’s dilemma is what prompted me to become an advocate of self care for entrepreneurs with day jobs.
Starting any business–whether or not you have other professional obligations–is a LOT of work. It’s the behind-the-scenes stuff that you just can’t quite understand until you’ve done it. Like how it can take weeks or even MONTHS of legwork before you even have a company name, logo and website to display–let alone products that are ready to sell and/or ACTUALLY sell.
I think people who do this while working a 9-to-5 are superhuman. Really. I mean, you have to want it bad to spare your few precious free hours a week to something that no one else is holding you to–something that you may not be able to see a return on for months or years.
And if you’re anything like me, you’re constantly looking for pockets of time to squeeze extra work in–and yet always coming up short on your to-do list.
While all this hustle and drive are admirable, the flip side is the very real tendency to let yourself go in the name of getting ahead. I don’t just mean waiting a little too long to wash your hair.
I’m talking about counterproductive patterns where we start to ignore our needs for exercise, healthy foods and eating habits, and rest–not just sleep, but also mental and spiritual rest from the constant need to produce and accomplish.
The thing is, while we think we’re showing grit and determination by refusing to slow down for our basic needs, we’re actually harming the very thing we need most for sustainable success in work–namely, energy.
There is research galore when it comes to proving that we do our best work when our bodies and minds are in peak condition. Take, for example, the Center for Creative Leadership, which did a study showing that corporate executives who were physically active actually scored higher on leadership performance measures than their sedentary counterparts. (Source: Center for Creative Leadership)
Or a scholarly article highlighted by the Harvard Business Review, which credits a regular exercise routine as the surest shortcut to cognitive function. There’s even proof that you manage your time better and are more productive on precisely the days that you exercise before work. (Source: Harvard Business Review)
But it’s not just about hitting the gym. Ever since I got out of college, I’ve been pretty good about the exercise thing. (So much so that I got certified as a personal fitness trainer and yoga instructor to share what I’ve learned with others.)
But now that I’m in my 30’s and am working a full-time-and-then-some day job (not related to fitness), as well as running a fitness business online, I’ve come to realize that mental self-care and stress management play almost an equal role in keeping this miraculous machine (a.k.a. my body) in working order.
This really became real to me this summer. We had just moved into a house in a different town for my husband’s new job, which was eliminated two weeks after we sold the home we loved in our old town and closed on the new house. (Yes, you read that right. I can’t think about it too long or I’ll start twitching.)
I used that sense of urgency as a motivator–which was understandable–but came dangerously close to burning out. Night and day for the whole summer, I poured every drop of my being into my first major product launch that I had planned. I was still working out, but did little else other than work and exercise (and, fortunately for me, a daily 10-minute meditation practice I’d recently picked up).
This is the part where I’d love to insert the story about how all my hustling was worth it, how those late nights of being in overdrive ended in a crown of glory. Instead they resulted in becoming dangerously close to burnout.
When I sat down afterwards to plan my next quarter, I was just stuck. I knew in my heart I had to set down this thing that I loved, which felt so counterintuitive.
For about three weeks I barely touched social media. I stopped blogging-just-for-the-sake-of blogging. I was also moving and starting a new job, so I wasn’t exactly lying around, but I intentionally made it my goal to find any pockets of quiet I could for myself instead of stuffing them with more work. I was stopping work FOR my work.
And it was after a Saturday afternoon of lying by the pool and cooking healthy meals for the week that it came to me: This is what people need. Working entrepreneurs need to not only be given permission to create a little space in their lives, but also to be trained that the lifeblood and sustainability of their business depend on how they preserve their energy.
Which is why I’m thrilled to be starting the Elevate Entrepreneur Self-Care track from now through the New Year. This community is your haven for all things related to self-care for entrepreneurs with day-jobs. Through my Self-Care Guide for Entrepreneurs, Periscope broadcasts, a private FB group, and entrepreneur interviews on the blog, I’ll be sharing practical self-care strategies that you can implement immediately.
We’ll be taking a look at how things like exercise, food, personal and business organization, stress management, and rituals can all kickstart your energy and make you not only more productive and focused, but also more happy. And if you dig it and want it to keep going beyond the new year? Heck yeah! We can make that happen.
We’ll be guided by this motto that I recently heard on The One You Feed podcast, which hit me like a ton of bricks:
“If you’re not here now, you won’t be there then.”
–Lama Surya Dass
Won’t you join me? To kick us off, I’ve created a value-packed Self-Care Guide for Entrepreneurs With Day-Jobs. Included in this guide are 10 Self-Care Strategies you can start implementing this week to boost your zen and instantly feel focused more and organized.
When you sign up for this super-practical, printable guide and self-evaluation, you’ll also be the first to know about the Elevate Entrepreneur Periscope broadcasts, blog posts, and Elevate Entrepreneur Private Facebook group.
The other huge component of joining in–especially once you request access to the private Facebook group– is that we’ll be checking in and supporting each other along the way. Because accountability, encouragement, and learning from each other is much more than half the battle. I’m so excited to share this quest with you and get to know you and YOUR business in the process. Take care!
