Journalling is the thing that keeps me going when my business gets hard. That helps me dig into what I need and set intentions and important boundaries. I’d love to tell you about how I use journaling as a business owner as part of your own self-care practice.
Taking into account your whole self – including your personality, your physical and mental health needs, and what matters to you in life – is a core part of the way I do business with my clients. The problem is, though, that even though you might logically be on board with the idea of self-care being an integral part of your business, you might still find it hard to bring it into your day-to-day life and work. Because the truth is that building a business does come with lots of moving parts, a neverending to-do list, so many decisions to make… self-care often falls to the bottom of the to-do list.
“The more we take care of ourselves, the more we can be present with our time, the more we can achieve using less of it“
One of the most important beliefs to look at and to overcome is the idea that you don’t have time to take care of yourself. That business to-do list never ends. But does that mean you should be working as many hours as you possibly can every day? Absolutely not. The counter-intuitive truth is that taking on too much, multi-tasking and working all the time actually leave you with the feeling of having less time and getting less done (not more).
This is where journaling can come in. When you’re journaling, use these prompts to promote self-care and put boundaries in place for your business:
- Take a moment to tune into your body. What does it need right now? Listening to our body is something most of us have fallen out of the habit of doing.
- Here’s how I want to feel today, and what I will do to honour that…Setting an intention for how you want to feel at the start of any day (or week/ month/ year!) is a wonderful way to bring some presence to all the actions that follow.
- What matters to me most in life? Does my business support those things? Make a rough list of everything that matters to you in your life, and be radically honest about whether your business is currently supporting those things.
- How could my business more fully support what matters to me in life? Use your intuition to guide you here. This is an exercise worth checking back in with on a regular basis.
- If I’m radically honest about the way I’m working, here’s what needs to change…Sometimes it’s hard to face this stuff head on, but I promise it is worth it.
You can also try reading or writing out the following affirmations as part of your daily routine, and see how it makes you feel:
- I am worthy and deserving of making my work and life easier.
- I am committed to my emotional, mental, physical and spiritual health.
- Prioritising my own self-care – above the needs of others – is not selfish.
- I give myself permission to choose the boundaries that will support me, my business and my life.
- I love, honour and accept myself unconditionally.
This stuff is simple, but it’s not always easy. My new course, Journaling for Business Owners, explores this and so much more, including: busting through resistance to journalling, how to do it in a way that will boost your biz and make you money, creating a ritual that works for you, 5 powerful daily practices & more. You can join here!
