Like many small business owners and entrepreneurs, we often need to wear many different 'hats' each day. Today, for example, I have been our social media writer, event organiser, product development manager and accountant, all before 11am!
As someone who can find it hard to switch off, I admit, at times over the last three years to having been buried in the business and all that trying to grow it and make it a success means to me.
A big advocate of yoga, meditation and keen to take care of my wellbeing, I am always interested to read about ways to work more effectively, switch off and make the most of each day. One Shopify blog post I read proposed the idea of creating a morning ritual.
I think we would all agree that your morning can set the tone for the entire day. Get out of bed late and in a slight panic and you can stay feeling that way until you finally sit down with a glass of wine or just crash into bed 16 hours later. So, the idea of investing a little bit of time in yourself first thing makes sense, if it has a noticeable impact on your productivity, creativity and sense of balance.
I have started switching my phone to airplane mode around 7pm each evening. I then only switch it back on the following day, after my morning 'me time'. On waking up, I have a cup of hot water and lemon and then do some form of exercise, most often swimming, yoga, running or just a stretch. I also aim to spend 8-10 minutes sitting watching my breath, meditating. This is the hardest part, as doing nothing is often less appealing than getting on with something. But, when I do it, I feel the effects in the way I approach decisions and tasks for the rest of the day with a greater sense of space and clarity. After a smoothie or avocado on toast, I'm then ready to switch my phone on and do some work, until my daily coffee ritual, which usually involves heading out in search of a latte around 11am.
