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Setting up for success

setting up for success

This post is in collaboration with Nakturnal. Thoughts and tips are my own. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m no longer working full-time for another company. I decided to take the plunge and start my own business as a Digital Marketing Strategist. Making this decision wasn’t overnight. I’d been thinking about it for some time along with the idea of possibly diving into the corporate world. The latter didn’t feel right at the time. It wasn’t calling me as much as starting my own business. I meditated and prayed on it, and when my former boss told me that the company was downsizing and restructuring, I knew it was the universe’s way of telling me to go for it. 

So here I am, week 2 into this new chapter and I’m already working with clients. I spent the first week sending out emails and setting up my space, schedule and mind for success. All those doubts I had in mind had to go. There was no room for them. If you’re starting a new job, embarking on a new business or just want to attract more success, here are some tips for paving the road for yourself. 

Create a daily morning ritual

The way you start your day is crucial. I used to wake up and check my phone right away. We had clients on the east coast, which always made me feel like I was behind before I even started the day. It took me a long time to stop that habit. Now that I’m my own boss, the phone will not be (and has not been) checked until I’ve gotten up, meditated, got dressed (even though I work from home), and ate breakfast. Once I feel calm and centered, I can start the day. 

Starting your day with a nourished body, mind and soul will increase your productivity. Take care of you first (Yes, even if that means you need to wake up earlier than everone else. So worth it). 

Nourish your body

Back when I was checking my emails before getting out of bed, I was living on multiple cups of coffee. By early afternoon, I would crash. Sometimes my first meal of the day was in the afternoon!

I still need my cup of joe but if I don’t start the day with a veggie drinkor a light breakfast, I really feel it. Heavy food will make you feel sluggish. A green drink, yogurt, fruit, avocado toast, acai bowl – are all great starters for the day. 

Do not multi-task

I was guilty of this too. And sometimes it can’t be helped. But you will get far better results if you focus on one task at a time. Finishing a task and checking off that list feels great. Having too many balls in the air can leave you feeling like you got nothing done that day.

Get organized 

When I made the decision to embark on this new chapter, I cleaned out and organized my home office. Emails, my computer desktop and papers get out of control quickly. To keep my emails in order, I set up my gmail by colors and folders. If you’re like me, and need to sendout emails in bulk, I totally recommend Gmass for getting things done quickly. You can use it to send mail merge campaigns, personalize and schedule emails (I try to not reply off-hours), track opens and clicks (no one can say they didn’t get your email), create email lists (so important!) and more.

To keep my blog posts and editorial calendar in order, I swear by my Organizada planner from The Planning Collective. They also have a Jefa and Full Life planner, which I have my eye on right now. 

You have to treat your own projects with the same care you would if you were in an office working for someone else. 

Get up and move

If you sit at a computer all day, it’s not good to be sedentary for too long. It can cause all kinds of problems from muscle pain to heart issues. Oh yes, sitting all day is really, really bad for you. In fact, my posture while working contributed to my TMJ issue. I used to sit in my bed at work at the computer. Not good. 

Get up and stretch if you’re unable to go for walk outside. Even if it’s just five minutes. My friends and I walk in the mornings before work. When I’m unable to walk with them, I do it in the evening. But I also stretch a lot throughout the day. It really makes a huge difference. Good circulation helps those brilliant ideas come in!

Rest

Sounds simple enough and it’s not groundbreaking advice. But if you don’t get your 8 hours of sleep, you’re going to feel it all day. You can’t feel calm, centered and successful if you’re running on empty. Make sleep time a sacred ritual. Take a warm bath, shut off electronics, drink tea or meditate. Clear your mind of the days’ noise and activities. 

 

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7 Comments

  1. Congratulations on the new business! That is so exciting! These are some good tips that I should implement in my own life.

  2. I love GMass because you can scare people and tell them they opened your email and didn’t respond!

  3. Great post, especially regarding multi-tasking. Humans were not designed to multi-task.

    I use Trello (it’s free!) to keep my mind and my projects organized, and I always know what to do next.

  4. great morning ritual, it always feels like I’m too busy to meditate but I always feel better when I do

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