One of the benefits of being an entrepreneur is being in control of my time and my schedule, but I find that this “freedom” can quickly turn into blurred boundaries between my work and personal time if I’m not intentional. And, like most entrepreneurs, It’s easy to work, or think about work, all the time because I’m not clocking in anywhere. My main goal at this time is to s l o w d o w n.

This morning I started my day with a 6:15am yoga class. Prior to class, I’d gathered up my dry cleaning (and, in doing so, it became clear why I had been feeling that I had nothing to wear!) and put it in my car. After class I dropped off my dry cleaning and then thought about breakfast. I’ve been subscribing to a meal service for the past few weeks at the suggestion of one of my doctors (I’ll talk more about this in a minute) but my breakfasts ran out yesterday. My first instinct was to order takeout from a local breakfast restaurant, and I envisioned myself calling in the order, swinging by the place and having someone bring it to my window (not possible- just my fantasy of ultimate efficiency), and heading home to eat it in front of my computer so I could get my day started.

I decided to eat at the restaurant instead of screeching by the restaurant on two wheels. This decision was in line with another of my recent goals of not eating in my car as I drive between offices or while running errands. For years I’ve encouraged my clients to take a lunch break and to not eat at their desks, but I hadn’t been great about doing this myself. What I’ve found is that of course I have the 15 or 30 minutes it takes to eat; this morning I was in and out of the restaurant in about 30 minutes and I didn’t rush. While waiting for my food I had time to read a few interesting articles, and while eating I was able to think about and plan for my day. I left the restaurant feeling relaxed and ready for the day. I had a clearer picture of my schedule and what I want to get accomplished today. I didn’t “lose any time” by taking time to eat.

I’ve shared before that Brené Brown‘s work has been personally meaningful for me even though I initially approached it as just another offering for my clients. Just this week I finished up an 8-week Rising Strong™ group with a few brave women, and at our wrap up session we discussed the negative impact of societal pressures about work. We challenged such phrases as “The early bird catches the worm” and “They sleep, we grind” and others that imply that working oneself to the bone is the only way to do it.

I have to be mindful that I am not “hustling for worthiness”- one of my favorite Brené Brown sayings- via perfectionism. Part of my own process is realizing that I don’t have to do things perfectly as an entrepreneur, and it is particularly important that I create some balance in my life; this is why I’ve been pursuing Wholehearted Living™ for the past year. So far I’ve picked up “adult hobbies” (the ukulele and photography), opted to get meals delivered in order to make more time in my busy schedule, and made time to deepen relationships with both new and existing friends. I’ve felt so much better emotionally and mentally for doing so.

Starting in the fall I will be offering workshops on Wholehearted Living™ via The Gifts of Imperfection™ in addition to Daring Greatly™ and Rising Strong™. Sign up for my email list to start receiving my monthly newsletter- the first one drops in September!- and to be the first to know about workshop dates.

~Dr. Stanley