Achieve Balance Working IN and ON Your Business Without Burnout
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just create a website once and never have to worry about it again? Often, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and freelancers are so focused working in their business, that they don’t take the time to work on their business. Admittedly, I have found myself periodically cycling through this as well as I take hiatuses from blogging, put off website updates and focus more on my clients’ social media and marketing efforts than my own.
The truth is, when you work for yourself, you need to focus working on your business as consistently as you do in your business. With the ever-changing landscape of marketing and design, updating your website needs to be a regular thing. And unless you have someone managing your social media for you, if you plan to use social media as a marketing tool, you need to post consistently (not necessarily every day, just consistent) in order to be considered relevant. Hey, don’t look at me - I don’t make the rules here!
If you are a small business owner, whether it’s a partnership or you’re flying solo, there’s a good chance you can relate. So I’m here to share my secret with you…this is a problem WE ALL face! If you struggle with making time for website updates and getting daily social media posts out, or have trouble fitting in your weekly newsletter without feeling rushed, you’re definitely not alone. If you spend so much time working with clients that you just want to sit back at night and do nothing, I hear ya! My Netflix watch list isn’t gonna watch itself. #Amirite?
If you’re looking at other business owners and wondering “how do they do ALL these things and I can’t seem to get it together?” First, let me tell you this – you CAN do it! It’s not fair to you to compare yourself to other solopreneurs and freelancers who seem to have it all together and wonder what you’re doing wrong. Comparing yourself to others, in any area of your life, personal, business, or otherwise is not helpful. Spending time wondering how other business owners can “do it all” – have a great website that’s updated regularly, have a beautiful and consistent social media presence, write weekly blog posts, and send out daily emails to their growing subscriber list while ALSO working in their business and still have time to shower every day…is not going to help YOU.
What will help you? A reality check. Consider that some of these business owners might have been in business a lot longer than you and have been through the same thing. Some of these business owners might have a small team of contractors that they pay to do their marketing and website updates. Some of these businesses might be doing it all and are actually burnt out, but hiding that aspect of themselves from the public.
“The only model you have to fit into is the one you create for yourself.”
A million marketers and business coaches are out there to sell you their secrets, and some of these “secrets” definitely work! However, the BIGGEST secret of them all is you. You are your own secret weapon. You know yourself. You know what you can handle. You know what works for you. But there’s a chance that you’re trying to fit yourself into a model you don’t fit into. There are a million and one things people can do every day to help themselves be more positive, productive, and lucrative.
However, not all of those things will work for every person.
So how do you become the business owner that masters the balance between working IN and ON your business simultaneously without burning out? Ask yourself this: “Where can I change my current way of conducting business to benefit myself and my business?” Look within. Look at your habits. Your goals. Learn what works for you and do that thing. If you’re a night person – stop trying to force yourself out of bed at 5:00 am. If you’re a morning person – stop staying up working until 11:00pm. If you’re more creative in the morning, do your creative work first and save your emails and non-creative tasks for later. If you need a schedule and to-do list, create one. If you believe you can work 30 minutes a day ON your business, then be sure to schedule it in. If you need an hour long break half way through your day to get re-energized, honor yourself that break.
Growing your business takes time and dedication. You won’t figure out everything in one night. Yes, there are plenty of business coaches who are very informed and super helpful! But make sure when seeking advice from outside sources, you’re only taking what resonates with you and leaving the rest. If there’s one thing I’ve personally learned in starting and running my own business, it’s that on the days I honor myself by doing things MY way and doing the things that work for ME, running and growing a business becomes a whole lot easier.
If you’re a small business owner or solopreneur, and do need help managing and prioritizing blogging, social media, or building your website – head over to My Services page to see if I’m the person you’ve been looking for!