Being a small business owner right now is challenging to say the least. Everyone is trying to recalibrate and figure out how to pivot and with that comes the pressure to be hyper focused on your business 24/7. There is a lot of chatter out there where the sentiment is to use this time to go all in on XYZ to be successful. While I absolutely agree that using some of the extra hours at home for your business can be beneficial, doing it to the point of burnout will have the opposite effect on your business. This is why Airport Rules Apply.
Airport Rules-where a glass of wine and a slice of pizza at 9:00am are perfectly acceptable. Where a fancy coffee in your sweats and sweats are encouraged. A mimosa for dinner? Sure!! Some mind numbing glossy mags to kill time? ABSOLUTELY.
Applying Airport Rules to your business could be the key to saving your sanity right now. We’re living in some wild times and beating yourself up because you’re binging instead of writing/making/creating isn’t good for your own mental health. Instead, look at it as giving your brain a break. These breaks are often when inspiration and new ideas will creep in and inspiration will strike. Turning it off for a bit allows your mind to reset and those “AHA!” moments to present themselves.
You can also apply the Oxygen Mask Rule to running your business, where you should apply your mask first before assisting others. However you prefer to approach it, the key takeaway should be that if you are not putting yourself first how can you take care of your business? Don’t beat yourself up if you just can focus on your business right now, I promise you that putting yourself first DOES NOT mean that you won’t be successful.