Get Out of Bed.
And other interesting Insights of a New Entrepreneur
Starting a new business is challenging. I have worked since I was 15, including putting myself through school and achieving my Masters while working full time. I work hard, always try to go above and beyond, and truly dedicate myself to my job, but always for someone else. Now I am my own boss for the very first time. I am not getting a bi-weekly paycheck, no paid holidays or vacation, no benefits. Yet, I am in complete control of my schedule and what each and every day looks like. And that is incredibly exciting. I formed an edtech consulting company this Spring. I also opened up a farm stand. The farmstand is a labor of love, but making or growing things to sell is incredibly rewarding. Venturing out on your own is quite exhilarating, but it is also terrifying. The paychecks come from invoices and sales, not necessarily tied to how hard you are working, And if you are a goal-oriented person, it can create a fair amount of anxiety as the business grows. And you may start to question, should I be doing this? Will I be successful? Am I doing enough? And if you have started small, being the only person to talk with can be lonely. I have developed some routines, developed practices, and employed tools that have lessened my anxiety, helped me feel more fulfilled in this journey, given me the confidence that I am moving forward, and helped me enjoy being self-employed.
Get Out of Bed
Take a Shower and Get Dressed
Create an Office Space
Reward the process as much as the product
Make time to journal
Set one achievable goal for every day
Stay Active
Establish Mindfulness Practices
Connect with your network every day.
What would you add to this list if you're starting a new adventure or reminiscing about your early days?
Let's start with number 1. It may seem obvious. Still, when I began this journey, it was recently after back surgery. Sitting in a chair was uncomfortable. And I found myself going back into my bedroom. Although my focus then was on healing rather than launching a business, I could not sit around, so I found myself working, researching, etc. However, we know that the bedroom is not an office, and bringing work into the place of sleep is heading down a path of working on your laptop at any point in your bed and setting yourself up destined for sleepless nights.
My first advice is to get out of bed as if you must commute to work. Then make your bed (and we all know the research behind a well-made bed), and return to your bedroom only when it is time to go to bed.
Complete your morning chores/routine with the same vigor you did before (minus the panic of being late). Keeping to a schedule will help with the work-life balance and allow you to feel OK, weeding the garden, washing the eggs before 8:00 AM, or sipping your coffee guilt-free while catching up on a podcast. At the end of the workday, you can log off to make dinner and enjoy the benefits of not commuting by enjoying some time participating in your passions. To bring our whole selves to work to be the most effective and productive person without anxiety, we must create boundaries and establish a schedule that clearly defines when we are working.
Wishing you all a wonderful week, and stay tuned for more posts on the rest of this list. And I'm curious – what would you add to this list if you're starting a new adventure or reminiscing about your early days?
