The Art of Self-Care: Balancing Well-being and Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a fulfilling and exciting journey. However, it can also be demanding and overwhelming. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily hustle and neglect your own self-care.

Prioritizing your well-being is crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance, sustaining productivity, and avoiding burnout. In this post, we will explore the art of self-care and how entrepreneurs can effectively balance well-being and entrepreneurship.

Understanding Self-Care

Self-care encompasses activities and practices that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It involves intentionally caring for oneself to maintain a healthy and balanced life. Self-care is not selfish; it is essential to leading a fulfilling and successful entrepreneurial journey.

Physical Self-Care

Physical self-care involves nurturing your body through healthy habits. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to neglect physical well-being due to long work hours and high-stress levels.

However, prioritizing physical self-care is vital for maintaining energy, focus, and overall health. Ensure you get enough sleep, eat nutritious meals, drink enough water, exercise regularly, and take breaks throughout the day to stretch and move your body.

Here are a few tips to help with this:

Fitness Class: Sign up for a fitness class and commit to a specific number of classes a week. For me, I signed up for an unlimited Orange Theory membership – and I try to go 5 days a week (every weekday morning). Some weeks I may miss a class due to a morning meeting. But overall, I plan my day around this morning activity. My health is more important than any of my client work, and I prioritize that above my clients.
A Large Water Bottle: Purchase a large water bottle. Here’s the water bottle I use. I fill it up first thing in the morning, drink all the water before heading to work out, fill it up and go through a second 30 ounces during my workout, and then I typically go through 2 to 3 more before the end of the day. My goal is to go through 3 refills – giving myself at least 90 ounces of water a day. Having a larger bottle helps me to drink more water throughout the day.
Watch What You Eat (Most of the time): I watch what I eat Monday – Friday – paying attention to calories, nutrition, and protein throughout the week. And then, on the weekends, I let myself (within reason) eat pretty much anything I want. I don’t go crazy, but I also don’t restrict myself – as I use it as a reward for making it through the week.
Use a Sleep Tracker: I use an app on my iPhone called Pillow, which uses my Apple Watch to track the quality of my sleep. It can help me identify the best time to go to sleep and learn more about my sleep patterns to optimize my sleep. It’s been a huge help for me.
Stand At Least Once Per Hour: Another great thing my Apple Watch does for me through Apple’s Fitness App is track my exercise, my calories burned per day, my steps, and my hours spent standing (It counts as an hour if you stand for at least 10 minutes during that hour). This data helps me keep moving throughout the day, as my watch will remind me when I need to stand. It’s relatively easy to get sucked into your work (especially if you spend your days in front of a computer), so this little nudge can actually make a big difference.

Mental and Emotional Self-Care

Mental and emotional self-care involves nurturing your mind and emotions. Entrepreneurship can be mentally taxing, with constant decision-making, problem-solving, and high-stress levels.

To maintain your mental and emotional well-being, practice mindfulness or meditation to calm your mind, engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation, and seek support from mentors, coaches, or therapists when needed. Prioritize activities that help you recharge, such as hobbies, reading, spending time in nature, or connecting with loved ones.

What works for me:

Do Not Disturb Mode: This was one of the greatest gifts I’ve given myself. I’m not a doctor who is on call all hours of the day. So why should I be checking emails or available to clients at all hours of the day?

I have office hours, and I’m taking care of myself and my family outside of those hours. I won’t say I’m perfect at this, as I frequently check my email outside of regular work hours. But I have my phone and computer set to go into “Do Not Disturb Mode” from 6pm to 9am daily.
Hobbies: Have hobbies that you don’t try to monetize. This can be a hard one for entrepreneurs. We’ve all heard the saying, “do what you love.” And yes, you should. However, you shouldn’t make everything you love into a business.

During 2020, I got super into houseplants, and my first thought was to start a plant blog. Thankfully, my husband convinced me that it would be a terrible idea. I already run a design and web development agency, an entertainment news blog, and this site. I needed a hobby that was just a hobby. I didn’t need to try to start another business. And three years later, I’m glad that my houseplants (and now gardening) are something that I do purely for the joy of doing it.
Therapy: Therapy is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves. No one is perfect, and no one is immune to stress. Talking through what’s weighing you down mentally can greatly help your well-being.

Additionally, therapists can provide you with new ways to look at things or lend an ear when you really need to get something out into the open. Going to therapy doesn’t mean that you have problems (though, honestly, almost all of us do – they just look different for each of us). It just means that you’re adding a new tool to your toolbox to make your life a little easier. (And who doesn’t want that!)
Reality TV: Alright, don’t laugh at this one. It’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to love reality TV. It’s something that you can turn on, and most times, it doesn’t require you to think. And if you’re spending most of your day having to be on top of a gazillion tasks, reality TV can be a breath of fresh air.

And if relationship-focused shows aren’t your jam. You have some other great options that can be inspiring, such as Shark Tank or even some of HGTV’s home design series.

Setting Boundaries

Setting boundaries is a vital aspect of self-care, especially for entrepreneurs. In fact, I would say this is the most important thing on this list that you can do. It involves defining your limits, both in terms of work and personal life.

Establishing boundaries allows you to create a healthy work-life balance and prevent burnout. Clearly define your working hours, set aside time for personal activities and relationships, and learn how to say no to tasks or commitments that are not aligned with your priorities.

Respect your boundaries and communicate them effectively to clients, partners, and team members. And remember, your boundaries aren’t suggestions – they’re hard lines.

Time Management

Effective time management is essential for balancing well-being and entrepreneurship. Plan and prioritize your tasks, set realistic deadlines, and avoid overloading your schedule. Identify your most productive hours and allocate them to your most critical tasks. Delegate tasks when possible and learn to automate or streamline processes to free up time for self-care activities.

Remember, managing your time effectively allows you to have dedicated moments for self-care and prevents work from encroaching on your personal life. For me, I keep a planner ( I love Day Designer planners), and I also keep a notepad. Every day I’ll look at my planner and then prioritize my tasks on my notepad as my to-do list. As I complete each task, I cross it off. And for my own OCD, the acting of crossing something off not only my to-do list but also my planner – well, it brings me great joy.

Continuous Learning and Personal Growth

Investing in continuous learning and personal growth is an important form of self-care for entrepreneurs. Expand your knowledge and skills through reading books, attending workshops or webinars, and participating in relevant courses. Engage with like-minded individuals through networking events or online communities.

Embrace new challenges and seek opportunities for personal and professional development. Continuous learning not only enhances your entrepreneurial journey but also contributes to your overall sense of fulfillment and well-being. Additionally, it can do wonders for your self confidence.

Embracing Rest and Relaxation

Rest and relaxation are integral parts of self-care. Taking breaks and allowing yourself to rest and recharge is essential for maintaining productivity and avoiding burnout. Schedule regular downtime, whether it’s taking short breaks throughout the day, setting aside specific days for rest, or planning vacations.

Disconnect from work-related activities during these periods and engage in activities that help you relax and rejuvenate, such as practicing yoga, taking walks in nature, or enjoying hobbies you love. And don’t let clients or your leadership make you feel guilty about taking time for yourself. That’s one area I’ve struggled with, and I am still working on challenging myself to be better at it. I can’t be the best for clients or produce the best work without tending to my needs first.

Self-Care Is Crucial

Self-care is crucial for entrepreneurs to balance well-being and entrepreneurship successfully. Prioritizing self-care allows you to sustain your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, increasing productivity, creativity, and overall satisfaction with your entrepreneurial journey.

Remember to practice physical self-care, nurture your mental and emotional well-being, set boundaries, manage your time effectively, invest in continuous learning, and embrace rest and relaxation. By prioritizing self-care, you not only enhance your entrepreneurial success but also cultivate a fulfilling and balanced life.

Note: None of the links in this article are affiliate or sponsored links – they’re just my suggestions of what works personally for me – and I hope they’ll be helpful for you!

Emma Loggins Sprinkle

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Emily Sprinkle, also known as Emma Loggins, is a designer, marketer, blogger, and speaker. She is the Editor-In-Chief for Women's Business Daily where she pulls from her experience as the CEO and Director of Strategy for Excite Creative Studios, where she specializes in web development, UI/UX design, social media marketing, and overall strategy for her clients.

Emily has also written for CNN, Autotrader, The Guardian, and is also the Editor-In-Chief for the geek lifestyle site FanBolt.com