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I have a confession to make.
When many people hear that my business is focused on “self-care for entrepreneurs,” they assume I’m good about taking time off.
I’m not.
Those other areas of self-care I have down–fitness, nutrition, routines, early bedtimes, etc. (i.e., the ones that require discipline).
And that helps, of course.
But working less has never come easily to me–especially since I’ve been side hustling while working a day job for the past few years.
So in the spirit of practicing what I preach and living mindfully, I decided about 6 weeks ago to see what would happen if I stopped working on my business during weekends.
Here’s why, and here’s what I’m learning:
I’M TIRED
Ugh, I hate saying that. It feels like a failure to admit.
Honestly, most of the time it’s not even a physical tiredness (though I am always eager for an early bedtime). It’s mainly a mental tiredness–the kind that builds over time and creeps up on you until you suddenly realize something needs to change.
I’M ONLY KINDA BURNT-OUT
I’m not burned out on the content of my work, or on helping my community.
Coaching hard-working entrepreneurs on healthy practices lights me up and never gets old.
But working two jobs does. (Technically three, since I’m also teaching barre and yoga classes a few times a week, in addition to my full-time job running a fitness studio.)
Quitting my business is out of the question. My business has been gaining momentum in the past months and I have some things I’m super excited about coming around the pike.
So if working like a dog isn’t an option but neither is quitting, the best solution I could see was simply scaling back the amount of hours I’m investing in my business.
SOMETIMES, A LITTLE REST SHOWS US JUST HOW MUCH MORE WE NEED
Late this summer, Jeff and I took a much needed weekend staycation at the Biltmore with the dogs.
We had zero plans during this 2-night getaway (other than watching the Mr. Olympia awards on tv). And to be honest, we were pretty edgy when we got there.
I hadn’t had a weekend away since opening the studio almost six months before, and Jeff’s been making some career decisions that will have a big impact on our schedules, routines, and finances.
But by breakfast the next morning, the tension broke. We lingered over our fancy omelettes. We worked out without rushing to get on with our day. We laid by the pool, took naps, and ate ice cream in the middle of the afternoon.
It was exactly what we needed. And yet…
Getting the rest I needed only showed me how much MORE of it I needed.
I haven’t worked a weekend since (other than for my day job).
IT TAKES SOME TRANSITIONING
When you’ve been burning the midnight oil for months or years on end, switching gears and relaxing doesn’t happen on a dime.
Sometimes I feel listless on weekends. Sometimes I feel pressure to make that time off this incredible, value-packed experience because it’s such a rare commodity.
IT ALSO TAKES SOME LEGWORK
Part of the reason I’m able to scale back on the amount of time I spend in my business now is because I’ve spent the past 3 years laying the foundation of my business model.
I’ve created my core products, I’ve experimented with different marketing strategies and am finding which ones are worth my time (and which ones aren’t).
I’ve systematized my processes, from how I create content for social media and which platforms I show up in, to creating reusable email templates for my course launches.
And most directly relevant to tapering off the hours I work, I’ve built my business around a passive income model.
SHOULD YOU TAKE WEEKENDS OFF?
There are some things I think every entrepreneur should do.
Things like turning off technology an hour before bed, drinking plenty of water throughout the day, and moving their bodies at least a few minutes every day.
But taking weekends off is a very personal decision. I think it depends a lot on where you are in your business, what kind of foundation you’ve laid, whether or not you even want to take days off, how much other stress is in your life, and whether or not you’d be more stressed by assigning more of a workload to your weekdays.
I’m considering reserving one weekend a month to batch out content and work projects to help offset the other 3 weekends I take off, while leaving some breathing room throughout the week, so I’ll keep you posted on that.
TO SUMMARIZE MY EXPERIENCE
Taking weekends off has restored my sense of humanity. It’s allowed me to connect with things that are important to my soul, which I know will ultimately deepen the quality and creativity of my experiences both in business and out.
My business needs my creativity, inspiration, and well-being more than it needs my hustle.
Every transformational business decision I’ve made to this point has occurred to me while at rest or play–not while staring at my computer screen.
And my investing in myself on the weekends, I’m better able to stay in it for the long haul–sustaining that spark that will allow me to keep showing up in this space and keep on answering this entrepreneurial call.
Want to snag my system for managing my multiple to-do lists, so I can be more efficient and enjoy more down time?
I’ve created a special tutorial just for Wellthy Bosses on how I use Trello to keep the trains running in my business, day job, and family.
WATCH MY TRELLO TO-DO LIST TUTORIAL
