Please bear with us as we do a little maintenance.
Veronica Kirin
  • ABOUT
  • BOOKS
  • SPEAKING
  • NEWSLETTER
  • CONTACT
  • SCALING:lab
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Let’s Break the 8hr Workday

in Self Care

SCALING:lab Blog

A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time.
Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..

JOIN NOW

NOTE: articles go out to SCALING:lab three days ahead of publishing. Sign up to read them first.

I believe Henry Ford thought he was doing a service to humanity by normalizing the eight-hour workday. Eight divides evenly into the total 24 hours each individual experiences in a day. Eight hours to work. Eight hours to sleep. Eight hours to play. Indeed, it was far better than the previous paradigm.

It doesn’t work out that way. Eight hours to work. Two hours to commute. Two hours to get ready for work in the morning. An hour to get settled at home in the evening. An hour to eat with the family. That leaves two hours for play if one is lucky. Five hours extra taken by work’s requirements of the individual. Thirteen hours dedicated to work in a day. Fooled into thinking we’ve only given eight.

Or one might push their sleep schedule to have more time for play. Or abandon evening wind down or dinner with family to go straight to an event from work. Combine the commutes of work and event so there is more time.

Henry Ford was wrong. He didn’t create the eight-hour workday. He created the fifteen-hour workday. It’s time we stop accepting the dictates of old capitalism in favor of true wellness.

It's time we stop accepting the dictates of old capitalism in favor of true wellness. Click To Tweet

Today we live in a new paradigm. Remote work is so much better for the well-being of the individual (and thus society — for a group of well individuals are the building blocks to a healthy society). The two hour preparation to leave home may be reduced for a lack of need to pack a lunch or prepare belongings for transport. One might divide their preparation across their early morning breaks, getting dressed or eating breakfast in between meetings. There is no commute eating their time. Suddenly, there is time for chores and general personal needs. The individual’s eight hours outside of work truly belong to them.

Even better is entrepreneurship. The eight-hour workday suddenly dissolves, leaving endless possibilities for a self-imposed work schedule as variable as the wind. One might break it apart, or reduce it entirely. One might wake and work, one might leave work until afternoon, or work late in the night when others sleep and the city is closed. In entrepreneurship, work is equal to choice, and each action determined by the individual and no other. The only ‘must’ is what the individual deems worthy.

Unless the individual is using Ford’s template for their own work. When one only knows one template, it becomes the default. Here we find entrepreneurs burning out, unable to set boundaries with clients because they didn’t have the option with a boss, unable to organize a workday as unique to them as they are to the rest of humanity because they fear judgement or retribution. The danger of entrepreneurship is when one carries a caged mind into their creation and calls it freedom. Let’s break that cage.

What Clients Say

"There's one thing I regret about working with Veronica - not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects."

— Niki A., Executive Coach

BOOK A CALL
https://i0.wp.com/veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/burnout-remote-work-entrepreneurship.jpg?fit=2240%2C1260&ssl=1 1260 2240 Veronica Kirin https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureGold-1024x363.png Veronica Kirin2023-01-30 10:45:382023-04-28 15:48:14Let’s Break the 8hr Workday

My Favorite Tools for Foundational Wellness

in Self Care

SCALING:lab Blog

A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time.
Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..

JOIN NOW

*** Articles are first published to SCALING:lab — sign up to get the first look. ***

Small business life takes us up, down, and all around. One day we’re celebrating, the next we’re nervous about our prospects. IT’s critical that we maintain a sense of center while our work varies.

But why do small business owners feel so emotional about our work?

When one works for a company, their work is prescribed for them. Go in, get things done, go home, repeat. 

As entrepreneurs, our identity is wrapped up in our businesses. When it does well, that directly correlates to us having done something well. When it goes poorly, that easily translates to us having done something wrong, even if we didn’t. We take it all personally, because it all came out of our ideas about the world.

I’ve found that a few particular tools can make a huge impact for maintaining Foundational Wellness and not losing your shit during these times. So let’s take a look.

Self Care

It’s well-documented that when we move the body we feed the mind. I really love Yoga With Adriene. She makes yoga accessible, fun, and easy to learn. I’m also a fan of Yoga with Kassandrafor a slower Yin Yoga series.

Not feeling yoga? Go for a walk. Being outside is proven to stimulate the brain and improve one’s sense of wellness. My mentor recommends a pre-breakfast walk to get the stomach ready for food as well. He says that breakfast is much tastier after a bit of movement!

By the way, what are you eating? When feeling stressed, we gravitate toward fatty and sugary foods, which unfortunately slow down the brain when we need it most. What’s more, when we eat more fruits and veg, our stress actually reduces. Our guest this month in the Lounge will have a lot to say on this matter. You can RSVP here.

Brain Breaks

I’m a huge fan of meditation, but sometimes I struggle to stay on the horse, so to speak. When I need to ‘just do it,’ I default to the next meditation in the 21-day series by Deepak Chopra. 

Not in the mood to meditate? I hear you. Maybe Vortle is your jam. The Vortle app was developed with trauma and stress in mind. It has soothing sounds and visuals, a circle breathing visualizer, and simple games to take your mind off things while you reset.

I’m also really into using the Pomodoro Technique, thanks to my partner who introduced me to it. The Pomodoro Technique is a simple timer system that reminds you to come up for air at healthy intervals. That’s critical for me. I sometimes hyper-focus, which is great for getting a lot done in a short period of time, but it also means I forget to pee or eat. 😆 

When in doubt, just stop. If it feels harder than it should be, you’re getting a signal from your mind that today is not the day. Move on to something else, take a break, or leave work for the day. There will always be more to do. Don’t try to force yourself to ‘catch up’ or nail a goal when it’s just not flowing for you.

Time With Loved Ones (and Alone)

Our work isn’t the end all be all in life. In fact, most of us are working for more freedom, not less. Those near their end of life report wishing they’d had more time with loved ones, not with their work. 

Make sure you build in time with your loved ones into your schedule. Don’t just rely on happenstance. I’m a fan of planning dates with parters, kids, and friends alike. Be intentional about making time for those you care about most, or you may find yourself defaulting to spending just a little more time each week on your work, only to not see them at all.

Just so, also plan some self dates for yourself. Giving yourself the space to hear your own mind and relax without input provides massive stress relief. Go for a walk. Go to the museum. Ride your bike. Get a massage. Buy yourself dinner. Do something that nurtures your soul at least once a week. Your brain and work will thank you.

What foundational wellness habits work for you? Tell us about it in The Lounge.

What Clients Say

"There's one thing I regret about working with Veronica - not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects."

— Niki A., Executive Coach

BOOK A CALL
https://i0.wp.com/veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/wellness-business-owner-stress-0450296.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1 1080 1920 Veronica Kirin https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureGold-1024x363.png Veronica Kirin2022-04-06 14:23:002023-04-28 15:52:33My Favorite Tools for Foundational Wellness

Doing Vs. Being

in Self Care

SCALING:lab Blog

A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time.
Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..

JOIN NOW

*** Articles are first published to SCALING:lab — sign up to get the first look. ***

So often as business leaders, we get caught up in “doing mode.” Doing mode is very task-oriented, action-driven, and agenda-focused. You’re checking off lists, are focused on execution, and are making sure that everything moves forward. Doing mode is very much the mode that we need to be in in order to accomplish anything. It’s the energy that we need to make a business successful.

However, staying in doing mode can lead to burnout. If you have ever been burnt out, as I have, you know it feels awful. Burnout makes us think we have to throw all our hard work away. It’s a scary place.

We are in danger of burnout when we stay too much in doing mode. If you ever feel like you want nothing more but to veg out on the couch and watch Netflix for a little while, that’s your brain saying, “I need to get out of doing mode for a while, and simply be.” Sadly, we often beat ourselves up for wanting to relax. There is so much more to do! But without the slow moments, our batteries can’t recharge, and we can’t build our long-term vision of success.

Enter “being mode.” Being mode is very go-with-the-flow energy. Relaxing, meditation, watching Netflix, going for a walk, or reading a fiction book are all versions of being mode. Being mode is very relaxed, and has no specific agenda or purpose except for itself.

Think about how much time you’re spending in doing mode, and how much time you’re allowing for being mode. Are you providing that space for yourself? Or do you fight the need to just “be?”

Are you providing space for yourself, or do you fight the need to just be? Click To Tweet

One way you can easily work being mode into your day is by just sitting and having a cup of coffee. We entrepreneurs really love that first cup of coffee in the morning. What if you use that time to just stare into space, or watch the sunrise, or allow thoughts to come and go? This is akin to a mindfulness meditation practice and is the easiest way to weave “being mode” into your daily routine. In fact, mindfulness meditation engages with the simple experiences we are having. For example, I can pick up my water bottle and feel, intentionally, how it feels in my hand, what it’s like to unscrew the cap, and the cool water going down my throat and into my belly. In mindfulness meditation, the present is the only experience we are focused on.

I want you to be honest on how much time you’re spending in doing mode because that’s our modus operandi for entrepreneurs. It’s our default. It’s how the business moves forward. We are told over and over that if we don’t execute, if we don’t check off the to-dos, if we don’t push the ball forward, then the business will start to die, or we’ll get behind, or we’ll miss an opportunity. This creates enormous pressure to fill every moment with action and takes away from your ultimate goal of building an empire — the long-term vision of your life and impact as an entrepreneur. It also robs you of the chance to enjoy what you have built!

In too much doing, we start to burn out. That’s not what I want for you. How will you build more “being” into your life?

>> Watch the Facebook Live video about Doing vs. Being. <<

What Clients Say

"There's one thing I regret about working with Veronica - not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects."

— Niki A., Executive Coach

BOOK A CALL
https://i0.wp.com/veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/business-doing-being-5506686.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1 1080 1920 Veronica Kirin https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureGold-1024x363.png Veronica Kirin2021-04-27 15:24:002023-04-28 15:55:34Doing Vs. Being

Your Body as Business Partner

in Self Care

SCALING:lab Blog

A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time.
Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..

JOIN NOW

*** Articles are first published to SCALING:lab — sign up to get the first look. ***

Sometimes our bodies aren’t up to speed with our ambitions. A friend wrote me this morning disappointed that she woke with a migraine on the day of her huge business photoshoot. She is doing the best she can to slow the pain so she can give it her all.

Sadly, our schedules and dreams often lead us to push against our bodies instead of care for them. It’s true that we can’t always predict when we might not feel well. We can’t control if we start menstruating, get a headache, or catch a stomach bug. But we can control how we react so to make the process easier.

I find it helps to think of our bodies as children. It is certainly up to us to care for them, but sometimes they don’t understand what is going on around us. They don’t understand why we sometimes choose to work out hard when we feel guilty for eating too much versus when we lounge around. They don’t understand our desire to dance, party, or take an extra-long shower without restoring the skin with moisturizer afterward. The body simply reacts to our input (and sometimes just does whatever it wants).

For example, I accidentally drank too much this weekend (Germannyyyyy) and was pretty hungover Sunday morning. I felt physically awful (and rather sheepish), but rather than just fight it, I apologized to my body and explained what happened. I screwed up and my body paid. In the aftermath of such choices, it’s also my responsibility to make it right and help my body get better, just like a parent would (or should).

I don’t mean just to feel better so I can function and get on with my day. I mean restore the vitamins that were stripped by the alcohol, take some probiotics to support my gut health, and rest so my blood pressure could return to normal.

It’s common practice in the West to ignore the body. To goad it into submission. How might it feel as entrepreneurs to instead treat the body as a partner? An active agent in our success?

In the case of my friend, I suggested that she tell her body she needs it today and that she’s doing what she can to support its healing. She said she felt a lot better about her circumstances after taking my advice. I hope this practice helps you as well.

What Clients Say

"There's one thing I regret about working with Veronica - not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects."

— Niki A., Executive Coach

BOOK A CALL
https://i0.wp.com/veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/business-self-care-5506836.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1 1080 1920 Veronica Kirin https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureGold-1024x363.png Veronica Kirin2021-04-19 15:33:002023-04-28 15:55:48Your Body as Business Partner

Design a Morning Routine that Amplifies Your Work

in Self Care

SCALING:lab Blog

A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time.
Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..

JOIN NOW

*** Articles are first published to SCALING:lab — sign up to get the first look. ***

How many struggle to wake up in the morning? Believe me, I’ve had plenty of my own battles when wake up time comes around. Though I am sure to wake up easier if I hop right out of bed when the alarm goes off, sometimes I get stuck snoozing because of a really good dream…

Let’s face it, waking up can be hard.

A few weeks ago I had to have a serious chat with myself about some changes to my routine. For any of you that know me well, you know I’m stubborn, so when I determined to change my mornings, I wasn’t going to let habit stand in my way. My night time routine consisted of me going to bed when I felt like it, never any setting any boundaries for my rest. This flexibility seemed nice in theory, but it turns out it was detrimental to my morning energy.

I also operated under the belief that I could determine how my day would go during those first waking moments. Despite evidence to the contrary, I carried on this way for years, despite actually being too groggy in the morning to function at such a high level.

It wasn’t just that I needed time in the morning to not be rushed and go about what I needed to do. I actually needed a set routine that had each step listed out so as I bumbled through, I wasn’t able to get off track or forget what’s next. Things many people do, like shower, eat, get dressed, and things that are important to myself as an entrepreneur, like read, write, and exercise.

Early morning is such a great time for self care and development because it’s so peaceful, you can have true tranquility before the symphony of texts and emails tones your way. This is the best time to be present with yourself and see what you need from you, not what others may want from you.

How To Create A Killer Morning Routine

So let’s get you a killer morning routine. Grab a writing implement, a piece of paper, and your thinking hat.

  1. What NEEDS to happen every morning? These may be simple things like shower, eat, get dressed. Or maybe you have other items that you are determined to have happen every morning. Write them down first.
  2. Next, what do you WANT to do in the morning? For me things like yoga, meditation, reading, and writing fall under this category. I truly intend to do all these things in the morning, but if I sleep late, they are the things that can be knocked off the list without consequences (you can show up to your first meeting without having done yoga but not without having gotten dressed!).
  3. What could help your mornings go better -or- what are some stretch goals? Dancing got added to my list because it’s great exercise (especially for someone in the icy north) and it helps wake me up. It’s a total stretch goal, something that doesn’t necessarily make my work better, but it helps bridge the gap between the need to move and the need to wake up.

Now let’s take a look at your list. Just because something needs to happen in the morning doesn’t mean it has to happen first. In fact, I found that I did better with the ‘need to do items’ if they were interspersed between other tasks. Consider how the tasks will flow together. For example, it doesn’t make sense for you to do something that might soil your clothes after you’ve gotten dressed.

Here’s a snippet of my morning routine so you can see how I thought about the steps.

First, I wake up (obviously) at my desired time. I then brush my teeth and pee (yep, I was that detailed on my list) while the shower warms up. Even though I exercise after showering, I have found that a shower helps wake me up so much that it’s important to just do it and not be too concerned. After I shower I dance — I’m still a little groggy from the warm water but I’m more awake than before and dancing helps really get me up. I do a minimum of three songs. The first one usually sucks. I’m just barely moving. The last one has me bouncing around and I might even have 5lb weights in my hands. It’s after the dancing that I do yoga. My body is warmed up and, as a result, I’m more limber and able to mentally flow. After yoga I meditate. Yoga is designed to prepare the body to meditate, which is why it always goes after.

That’s the first hour of my morning routine. My entire morning routine takes three hours, which I didn’t know before. I thought I only needed two hours, but also would skip a lot of items. Knowing I need three hours changed my wake up time from 6:45 am to 5:58 am (yep, I’m weird like that). Knowing my wake time and my desired hours of sleep, I now know what time I need to be in bed. And I stick to it. Studies show that keeping a regular sleep cycle improves everything, including work. As entrepreneurs, our work quality is of the utmost importance.

Mornings set up your day, they create a solid foundation for you. This is about protecting your time because it is precious. Experiment with routines and find what works for you. Setting up this select time for yourself to set intentions, be alone, and take care of your body is a very healthy habit to master!

What Clients Say

"There's one thing I regret about working with Veronica - not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects."

— Niki A., Executive Coach

BOOK A CALL
https://i0.wp.com/veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/miracle-mornings-business-entrepreneurship-5506926.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1 1080 1920 Veronica Kirin https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureGold-1024x363.png Veronica Kirin2019-09-24 11:19:002023-04-28 16:00:49Design a Morning Routine that Amplifies Your Work

8 Ways for Entrepreneurs to Avoid Losing Their Shit

in Self Care

SCALING:lab Blog

A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time.
Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..

JOIN NOW

*** Articles are first published to SCALING:lab — sign up to get the first look. ***

Owning a business is thrilling — just like a roller coaster. That new idea, new employee, new client, or new product excites the pants off you, but getting turned down feels like you lost your heartbeat. Some days it feels like you’re on top of the world, others feel like you’ve been buried in the sand.

As an entrepreneur, people will challenge you. They want to know why you started a business, who you are, and why they should trust you. You will constantly be on the hot seat, and in some cases be scrutinized for every detail of your life (not just your business). With that kind of pressure, it can be easy to get pushed around and forget your original goals. Even worse, you can actually lose yourself as you try to meet external demands — demands that may not even fit your original goals!

I’ve been through all of it, and want to help you avoid some of those moments. Here are eight ways to make sure you don’t lose track of yourself to your entrepreneur identity.

1. Write down your raison d’être.
When you started your business, you probably had some lofty ideas and goals. Maybe you wanted to change the world (or your industry). As you began introducing yourself as an entrepreneur, were you asked why or how you got into your work? With each answer you gave, did you have to mold it to your audience? What if your audience was always a little different? What happened to your truth?

I didn’t write out my goals when I started my first business because I didn’t know I should. Years into the business, things looked way different, and the company looked way different than the business I thought I’d started.

If your business is already in full swing, try to think back to who you were the day you decided to start it and write about your motivation. If you are just starting your business, write down why. Write down a one-year vision, and a five-year vision, stretch goals, and anything else you can think of.

Don’t just put it away when you’re done. Post what you wrote somewhere you’ll see it often, or formalize it into a manifesto/mission statement. It will help you know when you should (and shouldn’t) work with someone. When it’s time to hire employees, show them the manifesto so they buy into and help steer what will become your company culture.

2. Ask why when someone says ‘no’.
Yes, this is scary. So is starting a business, and you did that! The work of an entrepreneur so becomes a part of one’s identity that it’s easy to internalize a ‘no’ as a personal hit. While it can be difficult to hear anything negative about your business, sometimes you need to.

Recently I had a client who told me ‘no’ when I thought we had a sure deal. I mean, I had already done a little dance in my head about his positive responses leading up to the decision. But when the decision came, I was shocked to get a no. Instead of allowing my imagination to run wild with all the horrid things he must think of us, I asked why. Turns out I was right — they loved us — but they are a nonprofit and their budget couldn’t quite stretch far enough to hire us for our original proposal. The awesome part is they hired us for some side work instead. Knowing their ‘why’ allowed me to pivot our relationship and meet their needs differently.

I can’t promise that every answer you get will be as nice, so don’t forget to use a filter. Some people are assholes who drop bombs willy nilly. You’ll need to filter through the crap to find the constructive part of their criticism. Most of the time, however, you’ll receive feedback from kind people who have something valuable to offer, and it will make you and your business better.

3. Keep that work/life separation.
I don’t think I’ll ever stop talking about this one. In fact, my partner came home last night and said he and some mates were discussing working from home. They complained that clients often think that you’re available 24/7 when you’re independent, and he told them, “Oh yeah, my partner, Veronica, is militant about cut-off times.”

I wouldn’t quite use that word, but I guess I am…

Without work/life separation, your work identity will bleed into your personal life, and the highs and lows of business will begin to affect what you think of yourself. Imagine getting a ‘no’ from every client call of the day, but not internally separating the fact that they are no’s for your business, not for you. Your self-esteem would tank! Work/life balance helps to delinate what is the business and what is you.

The people in your life will also be thankful for your work/life balance. As entrepreneurs, we tend to disappear into our work, rarely coming up for air. If you’re working from home, your partner probably knows what your ‘do not disturb’ face looks like. I’m sure you don’t want to wear that face all the time (queue the old adage “your face will get stuck that way”). Your friends and family hear about your work enough. You don’t need to be working constantly, too, so make sure you have a cutoff time for work and stick to it.

4. Create a system for following up.
I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but self-sabotage is a tricky beast that weeds its way into the best entrepreneur’s work. Maybe you’re tired on a given day, or the task list isn’t exciting (who wants to follow up on their taxes?), or something has zapped your excitement for your business.

You need a system to get around self-sabotage so, down the road, you don’t find you’ve missed a huge opportunity. I love writing things down, and I love my Bullet Journal (I’ve created an entire course to show you how to use the paper Bullet Journal with your digital calendar and task system), so I do my best to write down everything. When I leave a potential client a phone message, I write down a reminder to call them back in a couple of days. It seems overly simplistic, but over and over I have forgotten to return a call or email because something distracted me.

As an entrepreneur, you will be juggling many aspects of your business, and this will happen to you. Do whatever it takes to create a system that captures everything happening in your business so you don’t stay up at night wondering what it was you forgot.

5. Reassess regularly.
I don’t just mean for your business. Since entrepreneurship means that your work is very closely tied to your personal identity, you’ll want to reassess your personal life as well. In fact, conduct a regular assessment for how your business is affecting your personal life, and vice versa. You may discover an imbalance in friendships is burning you out at work, or that work is obliterating family dinner time. Find a frequency that feels right to you, and mark reassessment days on your calendar. I do so monthly, but you may find your business better fits a quarterly model. Don’t set a frequency any less than bi-yearly, or things will get away from you.

Assess each aspect of your life at once so you can draw parallels. Write, draw, or type out how you think things are going. I personally love using the Level 10 Life model, but there are any number of questionnaires on the internet that can help, or you make up your own. I like that my system keeps them all so I can flip back to see my progress or make comparisons. In doing this exercise, you’ll catch problems quickly and can ritualize what works well.

6. Take a vacation!!!
So often do I hear of entrepreneurs who don’t take a vacation. Listen when I say that there is no award for working yourself to death. Sorry, folks.

I have found that when I take a vacation — an actual vacation without a computer — I gain some serious clarity about my work and my personal life. I realize where things have been failing, what goals I’ve forgotten about due to stress, and often return with a new sense of direction and energy.

If you find it hard to go on vacation, put it in your calendar way ahead of time. Actually, put it in your calendar for the same month of each year. Now you have a task/event that is both in your way and something you can plan for. If you don’t have a partner, plan something with friends, or go alone. Vacation doesn’t have to be a resort in Jamaica — if you like stimulation, go to a music festival or explore a new city; if you like nature, plan a hike; if you like culture, go abroad. Take at least one week per year to get out of your entrepreneur-head. Your mind, business, and the people around you will thank you.

7. Start using affirmations.
Affirmations have kept me sane in more ways than one. Affirmations are phrases that you repeat to yourself to either reach a goal, reshape your thinking, or reinforce your good habits. This is a great way to reinforce your mindset and your goals when things get busy, since affirmations should be phrases that you identify with. Some people make them up, some pull quotes from movies or thought leaders, and some are written by someone else. I do a blend of all three. My favorite affirmations book is written by one of the elders I interviewed for my book, called Ribbons of Love. It is divided into sections covering many topics and the pages are perforated so you can tear them out and put them where you’ll see them and read them often. If you prefer journaling, however, the Happier Mind Journal may be the best way for you to do this. It helps you track how well you slept, your moods, your goals for the day, and more. This is a great way to stay mindful ad not lose yourself when you feel like you have eight heads and twenty arms trying to accomplish everything at the same time (or is that just me)?

8. Practice self-care.
Self-care is a hot topic these days, but it’s usually the first to go for busy entrepreneurs like ourselves. That is one of the worst things you can let happen, as the trickle-down effect will influence every aspect of your life.

At one point I realized that my self-care had pretty much disappeared. Had you asked me what I did for self-care, I would have looked at you with a blank stare. This led to some bad times and a giant stress ball named Veronica. I don’t think I was very pleasant to be around, let alone the physical consequences of constant stress. So I started thinking about what makes me feel good — things like tea, herbal baths, and yoga. If you had told me then that I would soon be waking up two hours early so I would have time for yoga and a real breakfast before I start work (at home or at the coworking space) I would have laughed. I didn’t feel like I had the time. The truth was, I was in a stress cycle, and that level of stress will always convince you there is a tiger headed straight for you so there is no time to do some pre-run-for-your-life stretching.

There are a ton of resources that discuss self-care online, but this post by The Mighty was really good at demonstrating how important self-care is. Self-care isn’t just about aromatherapy and meditation, it also includes doctor’s appointments and family. Do some work to decide what will most benefit you, then stick to it.

Need help staying sane? Let’s schedule a 1:1 →

What Clients Say

"There's one thing I regret about working with Veronica - not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects."

— Niki A., Executive Coach

BOOK A CALL
https://i0.wp.com/veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/avoid-losing-your-shit-business-stress-5507041.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1 1080 1920 Veronica Kirin https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureGold-1024x363.png Veronica Kirin2016-09-09 11:48:002023-04-28 16:02:298 Ways for Entrepreneurs to Avoid Losing Their Shit

Search

What Clients Say

“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”

— Niki A., Executive Coach

Categories

  • Business Tips
  • Case Studies
  • Personal
  • Self Care

Hi! I’m Veronica.

I’m an anthropreneur passionate about leveraging the tools of entrepreneurship for a better life and world (without burnout). Did you know that a significant amount of business owners choose entrepreneurship to improve their mental health and wellness?

Let’s Discuss >>

  • ARTICLES
  • ABOUT
  • BOOKS
  • CONTACT
  • SPEAKING
  • PRESS
  • RETREAT
  • NEWSLETTER
  • SCALING:lab
© Copyright - Veronica Kirin. Please use proper credit links when using content from this site. Our Privacy Policy.
Some links on this site are to affiliate companies that we believe in and have vetted. Thank you for supporting small businesses.
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Telegram
  • TikTok
  • Youtube
Scroll to top
SCALING:lab 24 is Now Open

It’s time to get your time (and life) back. The 2024 six-month cohort is ready for you.

Check It Out >>