Running a business is like running a marathon.

Add do it family responsibilities, raising children or dealing with a global pandemic, and you can end up with an extreme ultramarathon. Rocky, ruthless and unpredicted.

How can you find energy to navigate through so many different challenges? How to make it safely to the next control point and enjoy your run?

It all starts from yourself. And your self-care.

Why is it so important, especially for solopreneurs and entrepreneurs?

Prioritising your self-care will help you show up for others

Your business and your family need the best version of you—as relaxed as possible, motivated, taken care of, physically and mentally strong. This is not an easy feat, especially if your responsibilities seem to multiply and your to-do lists never end. 

But when you take time to look after yourself on all levels, wonderful things happen. For example, you begin to connect to your real self. This is also a great opportunity to find the motivating answers to your “Why”: Why am I doing this today? Why do I want to continue running my business? Why did I choose to collaborate on that project? Or: Why do I feel I need to spend more time with my family?

That’s how you can boost your energy and get ready to serve and help others—your customers, your business partners, your family and other people around you.

You can’t pour water from an empty bucket. So, make sure your self-care bucket is always full to be able to share it with others.

Taking care of yourself will help you turn your marathon into a light stroll

It’s not easy to stay ahead of changes, cope with new limitations and find ways to make your business flourish.

Yes, Doctor Google may help you solve some problems, and yes, books, courses and heartfelt conversations may help you step on the right track. But you can’t really continue running your marathon without strong willpower and commitment.

And that’s where taking care of yourself steps in.

And no, it doesn’t necessarily mean waking up at 5 am for a long morning routine.

All you need is a little bit of time for yourself to realign with your goals, listen to your inner voice, calm down and get ready for the day ahead.

Self-care doesn’t have to be time consuming. Getting enough sleep, having a healthy diet and surrounding yourself with positive people—these are very simple and powerful acts that will help you find energy and motivation for your (entrepreneurial) life.

Your well-being will help you influence the well-being of your business

Your freelance business is as healthy as you are. It will also stay as strong and resilient as you. That’s why you have to start building your fortress from within. Great products, shiny social media profiles or smart investments won’t give you the real and lasting value, if you don’t treat yourself with love and care.

But what if one hour spent on exercising, reading books or catching up on sleep seems like a total waste of time to you? Try to carve 10 minutes out of your busy schedule and focus on yourself only—stretch, meditate, write a journal or do anything else that will make you feel and look better. Yes, you could theoretically squeeze in so many other important tasks in these 10 minutes, such as marketing your services, answering e-mails or comments on Instagram. But will you still deliver a quality work if you’re dead tired? How much energy will you have for your business if you keep forgetting about yourself?

10 minutes of restoring relaxation and focusing on yourself only might be all you need to boost your mood, productivity, and motivation to make your business strong and healthy.

Running a marathon is not mission impossible. Ultramarathons are not for superhumans either. Everything starts from the right preparation.

Every mountain will become low and every rough path will smooth out if you begin from yourself. And your self-care.

Over to you

What is your best method to refocus and keep motivated in your business? What do you do to prioritise your self-care?

P.S. I share more tips on establishing the right approach to your work in my free e-book “How to make the best use of your time”.

And if you’re looking for advice on how to juggle your self-care, work and motherhood, have a look at my book “You’ve got this: How to continue your freelance career when you become a mother”.

Dorota Pawlak

Dorota helps digital brands infuse their content with a local touch. She is a localization consultant, translator specialized in IT, prompt engineer, and a book author. Dorota teaches online courses on localization, writes for her blog and a Medium publication. She also runs a Small Biz AI, a Substack newsletter for freelancers and small business owners ready to discover handy AI tools.