We All Need A Rest...What About You?

Are you an entrepreneur that works around the clock and seldom takes time for yourself? If you answered yes, you may want to read more.
As I build my magazine business, I find I work harder now than I did when I had a nine-to-five job. I am up all night writing, thinking, planning, and ensuring I am on top of my game. But when the weekend arrives, I find myself exhausted. I have cram so much into my week that I neglect to do something fun for myself. I realize I cannot function like this any longer. Not only is it unhealthy, you lose so much life when you have just one focus.
I now understand that I have to find what I call “pure time” for myself- which means  time that I do not do anything related to my business. I just relax and enjoy life. As I mentioned before you can lose so much time and forget about other things that are important. For me, I have forgotten how to do absolutely nothing or enjoy a hobby. For example, I love bookstores. I have not enjoyed browsing and lingering in the magazine section finding books and magazines of interest in months.
I have come up with tips that I am going to adopt to get me back on track. For me being a wife and caring for my family is most important to me besides my business. After re-evaluating my goals I wanted to share the tips I will use to reconnect to my “pure time.”

1. Schedule specific time for your “pure time” at least once a week. It can be an hour or half a day. But schedule the time like you would with a client.
2. Reconnect with your hobby or activity that brings you pure joy. Choose an activity that releases the stress such as a vacation, exercise.
3. Spend time with friends and family.
4. For married entrepreneurs, adopt a date night; it can help recapture the fire.

In thinking about my work-life-balance, I found this article that provides other tips to think about as you move forward in your journey. I am going to start now by scheduling time to go to the bookstore this week. Click Here
What steps are you going to take? Let me know at DamitaShanklin@aol.com.

Damita Miller-Shanklin is the Founder/Publisher of Ujima Magazine(www.ujimamagazine.com) and the co-host of Ujima TV with Damita and Evelina.