Being a soloist can be a hard slog and we all go through periods where we wonder if it’s all worth it. These three things will refresh your brain and re-ignite your passion if you are feeling like you hate your business.
Constant lonely days, working weekends, trying to maintain the flexibility and balance. Keeping up with industry trends, upskilling, learning, creating sales funnels, emailing and marketing.
All of these things are mentally and physically exhausting but, most importantly, time-consuming.
This is why you hate your business
It causes you to neglect the other things in life that mean so much to you. It steals the time you should be spending on family, friends, hobbies or exercise.
It’s time to shake the resentment and guilt. Here are three ways that can help you to start loving your business again.
1. Outsource to the expert
Yes, you can do the graphics for Facebook posts or update your website or manage your expenses. But are these really the best use of your time? When I first started business I outsourced my logo and mood board. It cost me $500. For a start up with no cash, that was a lot of money – around 10 hours of work at my hourly rate.
But, it would have taken me much longer than ten hours to produce something similar, and I wouldn’t have ended up with such a professional looking product. In the end, it cost me less to outsource. No brainer.
Think about the areas in your business that are taking up your valuable time. They may be one-off projects (such as a website or video) or repetitive tasks (like invoicing, social media posts, blog writing). Hand these over to someone else to help free up your time and get back to the reason why you started your business in the first place.
2. Block it out
I don’t mean ignore the problem! I mean ‘Make time in your diary once a week to do something for you’. If it’s in the calendar, it’s hard to ignore.
Bake a cake, build the model train, volunteer, meditate, run, sew. Whatever it is that both takes you away from your business physically, and takes your mind to another place.
Research has shown that by switching your focus to another activity, you’ll be far more refreshed, motivated and focused when you come back to the original activity. A break will do you wonders. Speaking of which ….
3. Plan a holiday
Not only will it ensure that you spend quality time with family or friends (as long as you leave the devices at home), it will give you something to look forward to. Double bonus.
It’s never too early to start planning for a festive season break. Mark it in your calendar, and set yourself a reminder every month to achieve something towards giving yourself the break. It may be to discuss options with a travel consultant, book the accommodation or flights or buy a new suitcase!
—
Do you remember how you felt the day you opened for business? I’m sure you were excited and full of hope and wonder. You probably bounded out of bed each morning with the anticipation of being your own boss and doing something that you’ve always dreamt of.
If you’re no longer feeling like this, then it’s time to focus on rebuilding your love. By taking these three simple steps you’ll be well on the way to loving your business again.
