What my human business looks like ✨
Productivity and perfection 24/7 is something that’s pushed on us. Our culture accepts that working hard looks like constant availability, quick responses, and perfect work on the first try.
Guess what? That’s not very human 🙅🏻♀️ Constant work and productivity often results in burnout, exhaustion, and not taking care of ourselves. The humans behind any business are what make it unique and wonderful, so why don’t we take care of themselves first? 🤔
It took years for me to unlearn what I hadn’t realized I taught myself about productivity. Putting myself first in my (very) human business is also something I focus on in my branding and business mentorship for others, because traditional businesses are great — but for a lot of women entrepreneurs, they’ve gotten into their business because they want to pursue a different type of work. 👩🏻💻 A more balanced work that gives them more time and energy, and the ability to do things their way.
This is what a human business looks like for me (and note that it may look a little different for you!):
Setting boundaries around email and meetings 📅
I have a specific number of hours I have available daily and weekly for meetings. I’m an introvert, and too much face to face time drains me. I’m also aware that screen time is my comfort zone — I can spend all day doing the “behind the scenes” work like sending emails can easily take up my whole day. I’ve chosen to limit these elements because I have seen them easily eat up all my time, and putting emails and meetings first means I’m not moving the needle on my own business.
Regular intuitive biz planning sessions ✍️
Every Sunday or Monday, I spend at least an hour plotting out my week. Not just specific to dos, but creating the big buckets 🪣 of elements I want to focus on that week. Because, again, if I don’t do this, it’s easy to default to meetings and emails all day everyday. I also take into consideration the moon 🌙 phase that week and my personal schedule to keep realistic about what can actually happen that week. And once a month, I use the new moon 🌚 to reflect, plot & plan for my big vision for the month ahead. {& if this interests you too, check out my New Moon Visioning Circles}
Embracing the seasons 🍃
Sometimes things are slow and i want them to be busy. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed with work and just want a break. There are ebbs and flows to business and productivity, and sometimes my mind and body is screaming at me to rest. Listening to myself and my intuition to embrace those seasons and not fight for 24/7 productivity has been so important.
Checking in with my intuition & learning to say no 🤔
An extension of the above, it’s not always the right time for something. Or an opportunity could come my way that past me would have loved, but it’s not the right fit anymore. Putting myself first in my biz also means learning to say “no” to things — because my time is my most important asset. If it doesn’t light me up, it’s probably a no. Getting clear on my big picture vision and having regular biz check ins with myself has been instrumental on getting clear with what I actually want.
Embrace being human 👩🏻
The last & maybe most important! I used to get so upset with myself if I had a typo in my email, if I attached the wrong document, or in general messed something up. But here’s the thing — we are all human. We’re not machines. We are going to make mistakes, mess up, and disappoint people. All we can do is set ourselves up for success the best way we can. But we have to accept we are human, too. ❤️
What does your human business look like? Send me a message over on Instagram!