Wellbeing

Time to take a break! (How not to go mad when starting a business)

Hello again and hope you are all enjoying the countdown to Christmas. I’m sure you have already been to more than your fair share of festive events and hopefully your revenue is starting to show just how busy this season really is.

It’s during these busy times that we come to understand that the most important part of starting a business is looking after the person who is behind it all – yourself! In this post we are going to look at a few techniques that could be good to use when things start to speed up around you.

Please note that this is not a medical advice – if in doubt, always seek help of a medical professional!

Soaps and Roses.Business

First things first! No one can possibly keep running all the time. We all need downtime and that is as important as working hard on your art and customer needs. So here are a few tips on how to stay happy and healthy while moving ahead in your creative journey:

• Do you have a plan? Having a plan takes a lot of stress out of creating the new business or even maintaining the business you have been running for a while. Make it as detailed as you like, but make sure you have a list for each day or if you are not a list person, then there are some amazing ways of introducing structure into your day, such as post it notes that get to be thrown into the bin when done or mins maps that can be color coded. Whatever floats your boat, use those tools to get the sense of achievement that comes from taking an item off your plate. It’s nice to have things done – celebrate it!

• Make sure to tick off something off your plan every day. Some days it will be a big win and is a cause for some Prosecco. Others – it’s just making sure that all the emails have been covered or that the website it still up. Some days are better than others, but as long as you do something every day you are moving in the right direction.

• Are you getting enough physical exercise? It’s one of the perils of our occupation – being too engrossed in what we do to move away from our work area. You would be surprised, but getting up from the chair every 45 minutes and going for a walk literally around the dining table (or even the chair itself!) will bring a change of the activity and will make your feel less tired. Gym 5 times a week is great, but if you’d rather be painting (like ourselves), then try to find alternative ways of introducing exercise into your lives. 5 to 10 minutes of exercise every hour will help you focus and prevent feeling burned out in the long run.

• Take breaks. It is generally accepted that if you love what you do for a living then you won’t work a day in your life (do let me know who said that and I’ll add the source). However, even the deepest of wells run dry in the droughts. As creatives we need to keep refilling our wells. Do that by taking some time for yourself. Better still – combine it with the point above and get some exercise while you are at it! Go to a park or a forest and have a long walk. Drop into an art gallery or book a weekend away or even a day trip to a place you have not been to before.

Read “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron for more information on refilling your artistic well.

• Are you drinking enough water – yes, just water. Not sparkling water or any of those fancy energy drinks or healthy alternatives. Water is your friend – drink plenty of it and try to stay away from bottled water if you possibly can.

• Make sure to read something totally unrelated to your art and business. While it seemed like a complete waste of time for a long time, I have come to believe that it’s important to switch off regularly and not just physically, but also mentally. It doesn’t have to be for too long, but do create time in your week when you site down with a magazine or a book and simply enjoy it for what it is rather than trying to research for your business.

• Eat well. Sleep well. It’s difficult to overestimate the importance of good nutrition and sleep routine. If either is out of kilter, do you research and find the balance that works best for you. It really is not good for anyone if you are running yourself into the ground working through the nights running on coffee and flat bread.

This would be the advice we would give ourselves and no, we don’t always follow it, but we do try.

If you feel you know of other good ways of staying happy and healthy while starting or running your own business, do drop us a line via email or in the comments section and we’ll be more than happy to take them on board!

Until next time!

SoapsAndRoses.Business