by Caroline Frenette | Featured Contributor
It’s no secret that entrepreneurs get overwhelmed with long lists of to do’s and schedules that have them working ‘til the wee hours of the night.
I’ve been there. Heck, I still find myself face-to-face with overwhelm and an overly packed schedule once in a while.
But last summer, in a conversation with one of my coaches, I got really honest with myself : trying to go too fast and get waaaaay too much done was creating a constant feeling of anxiety in the pit of my stomach. It was uncomfortable, and quite frankly, it didn’t help me get things done. On the contrary, it was keeping me from being truly focused and productive.
So I did something drastic: I decided to slow down.
Now you have to understand that for an ambitious, over-achiever like me, slowing down is extremely counter-intuitive (even as an Intuitive Leadership Coach!). I like to take action (now!), to get things done (fast!) and I most of all, I love achieving challenging goals.
But the anxiety had to go. So I made it a priority to honour these 5 tips and see what would happen. I was pleasantly surprised…
Tip#1 Breathe
Sounds simple right?
But in the race to get things done we often forget to take deep, long, rejuvenating breaths. Deep breathing re-oxygenates your body, slows down your cardiac frequency, and stabilizes blood pressure.
And that ladies, enables you to slow down and THINK better.
Tip #2 Lighten Your Schedule
Take a good (and honest) look at your schedule: what can you remove or delegate? Look at the activities, meetings or appointments that you have scheduled and get rid of what’s not ABSOLUTELY necessary.
I would even (daringly) add: delegate everything that is not in your zone of genius. Which leads me to…
Tip #3 Stay Within Your Zone Of Genius
That’s right.
Social media not your thing? Hire a social media expert! Have over a bijillion e-mails to sift through and respond to? It’s time to hire a virtual assistant, luv! You love to write blog articles but it’s too time consuming for you? How about adding an editor to your team!
Staying within your zone of genius ensures that you spend your time doing what you love and what you’re really good at. Ultimately, staying in your zone of genius will bring the biggest results in your business and in your life.
Tip #4 Schedule White Space
White space is scheduled time for yourself for the sole purpose of delicious self care. It’s a block of time where you indulge in an activity that rejuvenates your heart, body and Soul.
I wrotea whole article about white space (and why entrepreneurs absolutely need it) but the bottom line is that if you’re constantly busy and if your schedule is pure madness, then white space is your opportunity to slow down. It’s like a reset button that brings you back to well-being and spaciousness.
Tip #5 Indulge In A Slow Ritual
Whether it’s yoga, taking a warm bubbly bath, a long walk, listening to music or even taking a nap, indulging in slow rituals will allow you to slow down. It will also have a huge impact on your energy & focus on the long term.
These rejuvenating moments will refresh your creativity and ultimately impact your productivity.
If you add (even just a few) of these tips in your everyday life, you’ll look back and realize that slowing down got a lot done after all.
_______________________________________
Caroline Frenette is a certified Master Intuitive Coach®, an Intuitive Leadership + Business Coach & the founder of The Intuitive Leadership Academy. She helps women entrepreneurs around the world create thriving businesses and extraordinary lives by tapping into the wisdom of their inner CEO’s.
Caroline’s expertise has been featured in (and regularly writes for) popular magazines such as Om Times, My Yoga Online, Elephant Journal, The Yoga Blog, Her Future, Spiritual Wisdom Magazine and Owning Pink.
She’s also the host of a popular free monthly tele-jam series where she shares tips on how to create a thriving business & an extraordinary life by tapping into the wisdom of their inner CEO.
When she’s not coaching her international clientele (or writing her new book) she loves to cook delicious organic meals for her fiance & friends, play (or cuddle) with her 3 adorable Schnoodles, travel the world (preferably to exotic places) or do a ‘lil yoga to keep her body happily energized & her mind refreshed.
To get in touch with Caroline, or to learn more about her work, please visit carolinefrenette.com. You can also find her on Facebook , Twitter and Youtube
