Stratigro – Grow your business with Social Media! – The Aftermath – What no one tells you about success in business

For most businesses, there is an ebb and flow of busy times, and less busy times. I’ve had some amazing periods in my business, and these often happen when I am incredibly busy. But, for me, the busier I am and the more I have on my plate, the more I feel a fire lit under my bum to actually get stuff done.

Earlier this year I had one of those really busy periods. I went to the Bahamas for a retreat where the topic was sales, a few weeks later I went to Social Media Marketing World in San Diego, California (which included a few days off as well), and then, not even a month later I went to Arizona to attend another conference.

Meanwhile, I was also in launch mode for the Live Video Formula, which meant creating content for webinars, presentations, a free download, and weekly videos. Not to mention creating the content for the course, delivering it to beta testers, and getting people into the course.

And, to top that all off I was working on multiple projects that all had a deadline within that timeframe.

Oh right, I was also deep into rehearsals and shows for a theatre production that was taking place within those 3 months.

Then everything wrapped up and I was like….what now? What do I do, what do I spend my time on, what is next for me?

Honestly, I spent a few weeks feeling really lost. The webinars were done, I was waiting for The Live Video Formula (which, FYI, is being offered again – Starting October 31st) to begin, all of that work to get the course up and running was winding down.

I want to share with you 3 important things to keep in mind if this happens to you, and so I can look back next time and remind myself.

1. Take time to relax and re-energize

Three months of pedal to the metal can really take its toll on you. I was loving every minute of it and I don’t think I even realized how busy I was and how much I was actually taking on. My mind just kept saying more, more, more!

But after such a stretch, it’s important to make sure you take a bit of time to take a breath, relax, and ground yourself.

Take a nap. Sleep in. Do the things that you haven’t done in a long time because they “aren’t productive” because honestly, you aren’t going to be productive if you don’t because you’ll be out of gas.

I watched at least an entire season of the Mindy Project. And some of that was in the middle of the day when I’d usually be working. Good idea? Depends on your perspective. At this point, there wasn’t a ton that I needed to get done. The most important thing for me was to get rest so that I could strategically plan next steps. Your brain won’t be strategic if it’s too tired.

2. Focus on other areas of your life

I had some friends that I hadn’t seen in what felt like forever. And I felt like I had barely seen my fiancé in awhile either. Even though we live together.

When you are giving it your all in one area of your life, other areas are going to suffer, that is just how it is. It’s not realistic to think you can be the super entrepreneur, the best partner, the friend who is there for everyone, improve your half marathon PR, and nail your role in a play all at the same time. Some might say that’s a limiting belief. I say it’s reality.

Take some time to refocus on the areas that might have been neglected. Go on a date with your partner. Go for a girl’s night or for coffee with friends. Go for a nice long run (even if you struggle through the entire thing).

Refocus and make sure you are creating a well-rounded life for yourself that isn’t only fulfilled when it’s full of work activities.

3. Take a break from technology

I don’t really love saying this. And I really don’t love doing this.

But it’s easy to become addicted and obsessive. When I was running webinars, I couldn’t help but check on the registration numbers every few hours. And I couldn’t help checking my list size, my ad analytics, my likes and comments on my posts, you name it. It got very obsessive.

And that’s not even the worst part. When the webinars had all been done, and there wasn’t really anything equivalent to check on, I still kept grabbing my phone to look at for some instant gratification. But like I said, there wasn’t much to even be looking at other than social media likes. And we really don’t want to go down that rabbit hole.

Take a break.

And if that’s really hard for you, like it is for me, start small.

I logged out of Facebook and Instagram (on a Saturday) and told myself that I couldn’t go back in for 12 hours. I wouldn’t be missing any work stuff on a Saturday. And when I’d grab my phone, the prompt for me to log in would remind me that I made this pact with myself. Because often I just go in without realizing its just a habit.

Second. Don’t be afraid to leave your phone at home if you are going out for dinner or something quick where you in no way will need your phone. And don’t be afraid to let your battery run out and leave it off for a couple of hours. The battery on my phone has been super wonky and needs to be replaced. That gave me the perfect excuse to just leave it off for a bit.

You probably won’t miss anything. I didn’t. And it helped me be more mindful of social media just out of habit.

These strategies helped me rest my body and mind and return to my work feeling re-energized and excited about my work. Whenever you go through an intense period of work, I recommend that you follow these strategies to make sure you are always performing at your best.

By Denise Alison