By Brooke B. Sellas, {grow} Contributing Columnist
Entrepreneur self-care is a trendy topic. And with reason!
In my own personal situation, every decision hangs on my head. I’m the only one “at the top” problem solving (and reverse problem-solving!). This means I’m constantly looking for ways to unplug and unwind when possible.
And right now, as we’ve entered what I call “the holiday time warp,” it’s more important than ever to figure out how to take care of ourselves.
Here’s one really superior way to protect your time over the holidays.
The Importance Of Entrepreneur Self-Care
Just in case you’re skeptical about self-care, here’s why it’s trending.
Busyness has become a widespread health issue.
In a Forbes article, Joseph Bienvenu, a psychiatrist, and director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital had this to say:
“Emotional distress due to overbusyness manifests as difficulty focusing and concentrating, impatience and irritability, trouble getting adequate sleep, and mental and physical fatigue.”
In other words, self-care actually helps us do better work.
Business BFF
Before I get into this amazing idea, I have to start with a back story.
I met Jamie Teasdale, owner of Propel Businessworks, in 2014. We both attended Social Media Week NYC and immediately hit it off.
Since then, we’ve made it a point to meet online once a month to vent, share ideas, and really just to support each other as women entrepreneurs. We’ve met up several times in person as well, but we cherish our monthly catch-up sessions!
One of the big things we talk about is entrepreneur self-care. Jamie is leaps and bounds better at self-care, whereas I’m my own worst enemy.
I lean on her a lot for venting and ideas, but mostly I find myself taking a page from her book when it comes to ensuring I don’t go crazy.
And her idea for self-care during the holidays is a BIG ONE.
Entrepreneur Self-Care For The Holidays
I want to share with you an email Jamie shared with her clients for the holidays. I’m breaking it down paragraph-by-paragraph so you can see exactly what makes it so amazing.
- Jamie not only sent this email to her client list, but she also sent it to her team. This means EVERYONE is in the loop.
- She starts with a thank you, which is probably something clients can never hear enough of!
- Jamie states that she’s taking time off and gives the exact dates.
- She lets her clients know that she’s “in” for some days but that she will not be working on anything that’s NOT SCHEDULED (aka: Get on my schedule or wait until after the first — but in a nice way). She’s also asking for help (a call-to-action).
- Now, she goes into detail about that first call-to-action with a second call-to-action and sprinkles in a sense of urgency. Not only do you need to get something scheduled, but you also need to do it between these exact dates.
- Lastly, Jamie thanks her clients once again.
What a smart way to engage in entrepreneur self-care.
I loved this idea so much that I asked Jamie if I could share it with all of you and “steal” it for myself. Of course, being the wonderful business BFF that she is, she said yes.
How Do You Unplug?
I’m curious, how do you guard your precious time, especially during the holiday season?
I’d love to “steal” more ideas from smart people at the top. Feel free to share your entrepreneur self-care tips in the comments section below!
Brooke B. Sellas is the Founder & CEO of B Squared Media, an award-winning done-for-you social media management, advertising, and customer care agency. She’s also Mark Schaefer’s Co-host on the top-rated Marketing Companion Podcast. Brooke’s marketing mantra is “Think Conversation, Not Campaign” so be sure to give her a shout on Twitter!
