Starting a business with anxiety – lessons learned

Since last March I am working on building up a business and since I started this process while being in an anxiety rut I have a lot of advice on starting a business with anxiety. Working on my business and going outside of my comfort zone also helped me get out of the anxiety rut but that is a story for another blog post.

You need to make rules

You shouldn’t just start and do things and then fall of the path because your consistency is lacking. Make rules for yourself. That means how much you are going to work, how you are going to work & what is priority. My personal priority is always health. That means when I’m too stressed I stop working and have some me time.

Put your phone away when you work

This is a big one. Not only does social media create anxiety through the fear of missing out it is also a big time stealer and procrastination source. I personally stare at my phone for hours every day and I created a work schedule that doesn’t allow me to look at my phone while I’m in my work hours unless I need to post a Instagram Story or need a small break after two big tasks.

It isn’t bad to rest

It isn’t bad to rest ever. Sometimes I have days where I did one big productive thing and I just can’t go on after that and that’s okay. Plan breaks for your work days, get enough sleep and get into self-care habits. It makes a big difference especially when you have an unstable mental health. Again: Health comes first, work comes second.

Make a plan for everything

You probably have a lot of big goals for your business and you can’t keep all the work you need to do for them in your head. Make a plan with action steps that shows you the path you need to take to create and accomplish the things you want. It’s way easier to reference a plan like that when you get off the path from time to time.

Only have 2-3 big to do’s every day

This is a life saver. While I have at least 5 to do’s on my list at all times I always know the 2-3 most important ones that will get the most done. Today it’s writing blog posts, making a vision board and working through the rest of my 2019 workbook. I still have other things on the list but I know I will feel accomplished with just doing these 3 things today and that’s the goal.

Don’t work on at least one day per week

Just like your physical health your mental health also needs rest days. Building a business is stressful and you need at least one day per week where you don’t stress out. For me that is sunday and I try to make only the minimum on saturdays since most of my blog posts are published on saturdays. Find out what the best day is for you.

Do you need more motivation for building your business? I have a lot of free resources for motivation, creativity and anxiety in my freebie library. You can access it after signing up for my newsletter for free:

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