Dd Entrepreneur School: Lesson #3

Lesson #3: Find Time for Yourself (aka schedule break time…seriously)

If you’ve been there then you know! If you haven’t then let me tell you… once you get a business going it rolls and rolls.   There’s always something to do, and it’s always your responsibility to do it.  Take Barre for example.  My day goes something like this:

Wake up, check email, take shower,  check email, fire up Quick Books, check online orders, log online orders into Quick Books, check email, call packaging guy in California, call printer about Barre posters, make customer service phone call to dance store in Egypt, take inventory, pack orders to ship,  read ingredient supplier catalog, take phone order, check email, make delivery to food co-op, miss call from packaging guy in California, ship orders,  pick up Barre posters from printer, call lawyer about that thing, check email, eat breakfast.

Get it.

So it’s really important to take some time for yourself.  If you remember one of my first posts, way back from last summer, then you know that I like to garden. I’ll take a half hour break during the day and check on the garden, water if needed, and generally check out the work that I’ve done there.  This is very important in order to keep a level head and stay grounded.  Julia and I tend to work on Barre late in to the evening because that’s the only time we have to work together after she gets home from ballet, so garden time is Aaron time.  And it’s very worthwhile with the craziness of running a small business.  It’s good for any of us who are full tilt life participants and who demand hectic schedules.

Here’s a picture of another break time activity:

break time

Next Lesson: My Life in Whole Foods Demos

(Send us a message via email, hello@diydancer.com, or twitter @diydancer and /or @realfoodbarre to ask us a question about starting a business or let us know future lessons/topics you would like us to explore in a post.)