I’m writing this blog from the gorgeous Newgale beach in St Davids, Pembrokeshire. It’s a place that makes me feel at peace just from thinking of it! I don’t take holidays, in fact until recently, I barely even rest. But I’ve taken 4 days out from my life (did I mention I love being self employed?!) with my dog Lola to get some seaside air and to get a slice of Welsh scenery and tranquillity.
It’s fair to say I lead a busy life. I don’t really have a set routine due to the varied work that I do, which can often result in me feeling burnt out, exhausted and out of fresh ideas.
As most of my work is helping other small businesses boost their brands though graphic designs and digital strategies, it’s vital that I stay at the top of my game so that I can help these brands as much as possible.
With the slow letting go of my clothing line, I’ve found more time to dedicate to the work I really love, which is branding and working with other businesses to get their ideas up and running.
I’ve now learnt that in order to do more, I have to do less – that with rest comes a fresh mindset and a chance to prepare myself for the next task.
In order to do more, I have to do less
When I was launching Alice & Country, I struggled to stay awake at night, to find time to spend with my friends and to invest in quality ME time. It wasn’t uncommon for me to return to my previous student routine and to pull the occasional all-nighter when I had a new idea; I just couldn’t wait for the morning to get stuck in!
With the 24/7 working attitude I forgot to do the things that I enjoyed, such as popping out for a hack, going for a run or even picking up my paints for an crafternoon. My health suffered, and I felt unhappy because I couldn’t keep up to date with my fitness, and have time to just chill.
It wasn’t until I took the time out to chill and reflect about what was really making me happy – did I want to do this forever? Could I do this forever?! Don’t get me wrong, I loved setting up a clothing line, and working freelance as well as other part time jobs to keep the money coming in, but was this healthy?
During this time I discovered what really made me tick, and that actually I loved the buzz of being busy, just not all the time. I loved the butterflies I felt when I had a new idea, or I would start snowballing a simple concept into something with a global potential, but it wasn’t sustainable to stay on this high all the time.
So where has this left me now?
I’m now a hardcore believer of keeping weekends free, something I never thought I could do. At the beginning I struggled to not be glued to my emails or social media accounts, with the excitement of Monday’s hustling being almost too much to wait for. However after a month or so of actively making sure I’m not anywhere near my laptop, I found that now I love weekends!
I’ve realised the importance of spending time with friends, and every weekend is spent adventuring, socialising and making memories that will last a lifetime.
I love what I do, so I’ve never experienced that Sunday feeling, which everyone around me seems to have.
I LOVE Mondays, and I LOVE weekends. It’s a win win.
My productivity has increased, and by having a time in the day where I shut down my laptop, I find I can get to sleep a lot quicker, and that I can wake up the next morning feeling fresh and well rested.
By working less, I’ve found that I get more done, I’m getting more and more referrals through the work that I complete which goes to show that the quality is improving, not just the quantity! I can’t quite understand how or why resting has impacted my output so much, I’m not complaining though, it works, so I’ll stick with it!
Rest can enjoyable, and I feel a lot of you would be saying ‘durrrr’ but also a lot of you (fellow entrepreneurs I’m looking at you) will think this is an alien concept.
My challenge to you is this:
Take a day off.
Hell, take a week off!
Go to the nearest beach, climb the highest hill and take a breather. You never know what you’ll come up with once you’re there, and your body will thank you for it!
Let me know what you get up to, and how you take that much needed rest…