The Importance of Self-Care & Systems
The value of balance, self-care, and systems in your life is not just for mothers. It’s for any business owner who wants to enjoy a lifestyle business.
Balance, self-care, and systems are so crucial, not just in terms of being a part-time CEO working twenty hours a week, but also in terms of the quality and level of work that we are able to bring to our clients and to our audience.
I’m going to explain, step-by-step, how I am a part-time CEO and manage a six-figure company and all of the activities that entails, from managing a small team, managing clients, fulfilling for clients, marketing, managing the finances, while also managing a household and a family.
“You need to figure out what works best for how YOU work best.”- Janelle Lara (10:33-10:38)
5 Steps to Reducing Your Work Week Hours
There are five very actionable steps you can take to reduce your work week if you want to be a Part-Time CEO or if you want to reduce your hours from what you are currently working. The purpose of all five of these steps is to increase your ability to serve at your highest capacity because that is where you are going to make the greatest impact as well as have the most enjoyment in your business.
“What does self-care mean for you? You need to decide that you’re worth it, design it, block it, and then commit.” - Janelle Lara (32:32-32:38)
Step #1: Decide
The first step you need to take to maximize your ability to be a part-time CEO is to decide to do it.
You may need to work on whatever mindset issue you have between yourself and your ideal workweek, whether that be that you’re not worth taking the time, or that you have to work hard to make money, or that your sense of self-worth is connected to how busy you are.
Step #2: Design
You need to design your work week around your decision to limit the amount of time you are going to spend working.
I decided that twenty hours a week was my limit, so I designed my work week around those twenty hours.
The question you have to ask yourself is, “How do I work best?” I don’t do my best work when I’m constantly being interrupted. I need a full day of being a CEO and then I need a full day of being a stay-at-home mom. I realized I need to work in blocks of full days.
Some of you can’t do full eight-hour work days and need to work in chunks of fewer hours. So, you might design your work week to be four hours a day for five days a week, for example.
Step # 3: Block
Instead of reinventing the wheel every week, schedule blocks of time for those things you need to do every single week. Have a system that tells you what you should be doing and when you should be doing it.
My Google Calendar is the system I utilize to keep me on track. Every time I think of a to-do list item, I block out fifteen minutes to get it done on my Google Calendar. When I find myself lost on Facebook or on my phone, I go straight to my Google Calendar to determine exactly what I’m supposed to be doing at that time and get back on track.
Step # 4: Commit
This is the hardest step for most people because things come up, like a client who wants to hop on the phone on a day you’re not scheduled to work.
In such cases, do what feels intuitively good at that moment. Ask yourself, “Do I feel like I’m bending over backwards for this person, or do I feel excited about getting on a call with them?” If it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it. This isn’t about being selfish, it’s about you showing up as your best self and at your highest capacity!
Step #5: Delegate
Take a blank sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. Write “Optimized” on the left side and “Not Optimized” on the right.
Ask yourself, “What is optimized in my business? What do I absolutely love to do in my business?” Write your answers in the “Optimized” column.
Then ask, “What is not optimized? What do I hate doing in my business?” Write these answers in the “Not Optimized” column.
Look at the “Not Optimized” column and remove anything that isn’t necessary to run your business. Then delegate the rest. Do not do them yourself!
“Every single entrepreneur needs space to create. You cannot have that if you are constantly working, if you’re not respecting how you work, and if you’re not respecting the fact that you need time and rest and self-care.”-Janelle Lara (20:32-20:57)
If you are not getting the self-care that you need, then you need to start the five steps all over again. Decide today to give yourself the gift of time and space to be creative, because that is when you will do your best work.
How to get involved
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For more resources, information on my coaching services, and a whole community of Part-Time CEOs, find me on Facebook at The Part-Time CEO® Group, my website, or email me at janelle@janellelara.com.
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