Episode 36 - Top 5 Business and Lifestyle Lessons from Our Most Listened Episodes
Dec 22, 2021
As a female business owner and wellness coach, you’d think that I’m just about pushing hard to achieve your goals. But I’m also a huge believer in taking care of our bodies and minds so we can become our happiest, healthiest selves.
With 2021 coming to a close and 2022 just around the corner, I want to remind you just how essential this is.
If we don’t rest, eat well, sleep well, exercise and truly believe in ourselves, we’re going to struggle. This applies to our lives as female business owners but also as parents, partners, friends and human beings.
Today, I’m here to remind you about how important you and your wellbeing are when it comes to your business. Think of me as your health fairy godmother, if you will.
I’m speaking from experience here. Because I know how tricky it can be to ‘keep all those balls in the air' whilst still pushing for success.
In this week’s episode, I share with you some of my own stories about battling to balance life and business, health and productivity, fighting FOMO and overwhelm, and just all the things life can throw your way.
Listen to the struggles I faced in my journey and why I do the things that I do today.
I also touch on the key points from our most downloaded solo episodes to remind anyone who might need it.
Listen to this episode and check out the other five lessons we’ve learned so far this year that will help your life (and business) run a little bit smoother and worry-free.
- Believe in Yourself (Episode 29: 5 Ways to Deal with Self-Sabotage)
Believing in yourself should be your first step to loving yourself. Believe that you can do it and you will be capable of the things you never thought you were. Continue doing ‘you’ and remember that your path might not be the same as somebody else's. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you will achieve that goal, desire or passion you have. Never let fear stop you from chasing your dreams and don't be too hard on yourself because every failure allows you to grow and learn as an individual.
“Don't let self-sabotage, fear, or overwhelm rub you off your dreams and desires.”
- Stop, Rest, Review, and Restore (Episode 15 - 8 Things to Consider When Life Gets Overwhelming)
We, as entrepreneurs, do our best to finish as much as possible in a day. But sometimes setting aside work to rest and look after yourself is also beneficial. Using hacks such as doing a brain dump, writing things down, celebrating your wins, planning, or even setting new goals in your life can help us beat the overwhelm whilst still moving forward.
“Start delegating sooner rather than later so you will have more time to do the things that you need to do to ensure that you're looking after yourself and enjoying your life.”
- Say ‘YES’ to Yourself (Episode 7: Simple Ways to Invest in Yourself and Your Wellbeing)
How often do you say ‘YES’ to yourself? Honestly? Remember that YOU are your businesses’ greatest asset so it’s always a good idea to treat yourself and give yourself the time to enjoy the small pleasures in life. Tweak your lifestyle, invest time in yourself and your family, set healthy boundaries, and of course, do the things that bring you joy.
“Invest in you to invest in your business.”
- Take Time to Plan and Organize Your Tasks (Episode 22: Systems and Products That I Use to Help My Working Day Flow)
We all seem to have a never-ending list of tasks on our to-do list and responsibilities coming from all angles. But ladies, don’t forget to give yourself time to get things done, rather than trying to multitask. Learning to prioritise can be really beneficial, using the time-blocking method or getting help using apps or systems available on the market.
“Start to think about planning out your business days or your working days. Try and make it as simple as possible for yourself.”
- Give Yourself Space (Episode 20: How I Conquer Burnout)
Burnout is real. We need to break the stigma that asking for help is a sign of weakness because as entrepreneurs, working mums or parents, there will be a time where we need someone to help us with our tasks, work, or even our big decisions in life.
Look after yourself by giving yourself some space. Get help if you need to make sure you can keep moving forward without sacrificing your physical, mental, and emotional health.
“Make sure your health is at the forefront of your business because, without it, you have no business.”
Eleshia’s Essentials:
- I'm reminding you to continue celebrating your loved ones because they're always within your hearts.
- If you are not fearful of what is in front of you, then it's not worth doing.
- Self-sabotage, for me, goes hand-in-hand with procrastination.
- Saying yes is a learned behaviour.
About the show:
Need simple strategies to help you grow your business and achieve more without working harder? Struggling to balance work, life, and all your other commitments and don’t want to burn out? You’re in the right place.
The Eleshia Show is a holistic business and lifestyle strategy podcast to help you get clear on your business goals, stop procrastinating, boost your income, and do what lights you up.
Women are taking notice! We have listeners across 41 countries and over 420 cities! We’re teaching female business owners across the world how to achieve more with less while looking after themselves. And we can do the same for you!
We’re having intimate conversations — the kinds that most female business owners are having privately. You don’t want to miss these.
Tune in to the podcast every Wednesday to discover exactly what expert CEOs did to get their businesses off the ground and achieve success so you can do the same!
With your host, Eleshia Harris, business coach and growth strategist, you can redefine what success means, ditch the stress and confusion and learn how to run your business from a place of ease and excitement.
If you want to talk business, wellbeing, lifestyle, mindset, goals, and scaling organic growth, don’t miss it!
Connect with Eleshia and the community today
Show Transcript:
Eleshia Harris: Remember that your path might not be the same as somebody else's. So don't be so hard on yourself. Continue doing you, continue believing in yourself, continue doing all of the things in the background that help you to boost your confidence, to keep putting one step forward to get into that goal.
Hey, I'm Eleshia Harris, and I am the host of The Eleshia Show where each week, we'll be having conversations about how to enhance your wellbeing. We'll be sharing strategies and stories and insights to build your business while still navigating life because sometimes we try to separate the two. And let's face it. If you are not well, you have no business. I am a holistic business growth strategist and a wellness coach who spent over 15 years in corporate before deciding to choose me first to build my brand, Eleshia Lifestyle. I'm here to teach you how to redefine what success means to you, ditch the stress and confusion, and learn how to run your business from a place of ease and excitement. Let's get into this week's episode.
Hi, and welcome back to The Eleshia Show. Today, I am dedicating this episode to my daughter and equally to my mom. Though these two wonderful, amazing humans are the reason why I do what I do. And if you don't know the backstory, my mom sadly passed away in 2015 and she had a rare type of cancer that basically kept on coming back. She went into remission three times, and it literally just kept on coming back. And then she passed away, which practically gets me every day. One of the reasons why I started off my brand, Eleshia Lifestyle, was because of my mom. We were sitting in the hospital, and I was discussing ways of how I can help others just learn about their lifestyles. And my mom was so encouraging in helping me dream about that. She helped me to choose the design of the logo, and she was always so excited to hear about all of my plans for the future and how I was going to really make an impact. So everything that I do, I do because of her, because she gave me the pushes, the pushes that I needed to know that I could dream big and I could go for all of the goals that I mapped out for myself. And I didn't have to think small.
So when she passed away, it hit me really hard. And then a couple of years of losing her and then deciding that we were going to start our own family and being told that we wouldn't be able to do it naturally, I continue to hear my mom's voice within me saying, you have to practice everything that you have been preaching to me, Eleshia. You've got to look and you've got to believe in your body. And so that's what I did. And within 18 months, we were pregnant with Elessandra. We had a miscarriage before then. But then after that, we were able to conceive and we had our daughter in 2018.
So my daughter has just turned three, and she is an amazing human being. She reminds me so much of my mom. And I know my mom's looking down and laughing at me because they are so very similar. I'm so grateful that she gets to see me fulfill some of my goals. And I am here to ensure that she fulfills some of hers too. So I just wanted to let you know a little bit more of the backstory as to why I do the things that I do, but also to share with you that I know this time is really hard for those of you who don't have your loved ones with you. But I just want to remind you to continue to celebrate them because they are always within your hearts.
So this week, I really want to touch upon some of the episodes that I have previously recorded but are so, so important and have been the most downloaded solos to date. I thought it would be a really good idea just as a reminder to pull out some of the key points that I discussed and then also, expand on them to give you a little bit more to think about. And so use this episode as a masterclass. Maybe grab a pen and paper and just take what you need from this episode and leave behind what you don't.
Here's the thing. I don't think we ever set out to say that we're going to sabotage ourselves. In my mind, I know I want to succeed. But do I always do the things that I know are going to push the needle forward and get the things that I know will help with growth in my business? No, I don't. I am just like the rest of us. Sometimes I let fear get in the way. Sometimes I procrastinate. Sometimes I override my intuition, and I do things that I know that I shouldn't be doing at that precise moment. And that's all part of the process.
One thing that I've heard so many times is that if you are not fearful of what is in front of you, then it's not worth doing. And yes, I get that to a certain extent. But I don't want people to feel like they have to live in that fear to be able to succeed. So when I think about self-sabotage, I think about it as my inner critic is coming out to play, just like fear does. I see it as a form of protection. Self-sabotage, for me, goes hand-in-hand with procrastination. And it can be draining.
I start to think about my why's. And my why's to why I am trying to do the particular thing that I am procrastinating about and sabotaging. Is it still aligned with my bigger vision? And if it's not, then why am I putting so much emphasis into getting that thing done? So from a business perspective, let's think about some of the things that you're thinking about doing. So just have a check-in with yourself and think about the bigger picture. Is this still align with everything that you want to do? Is it going to move the needle into growing your business? So I want you to think about the bigger vision. Is the thing that you're procrastinating about doing and completing, does tie into your bigger vision? And I don't want you to just think about the months ahead. I want you to think about the years ahead also. And then think about why are you finding this so difficult? Have you taken on too much? Do you need help? Do you need to delegate things? Look at your personal current situation, what's going on in your life at the moment? Are you just in that distraction mode and trying to put everything that you need to put into your business but then you're not thinking about your home life, your health or you're not actually finding the time to be joyful about things?
Really think about all of these things, and then maybe do a brain dump and get everything that is going on in your head out of your head and on paper. I find this really, really, really useful. And so I just want to remind you all that we are not here forever. So if there is something that you want to do and fear and procrastination and overwhelm are stopping you and you can't get out of that place on your own, then you need to ask for help. You need to let somebody externally help you. Don't let self-sabotage or fear or overwhelm rub you off your dreams and desires. There were so many people out there that want to hear your dreams and your desires. They want to see you. They want to hear from you. And so, I want you to just remember that.
So we're going to talk about how self-sabotage comes up in your life and how you deal with it because, yes, sometimes we let it fester and we talk about it coming up. And the fact that we continue to procrastinate, but what are you doing and how do you feel when it actually happens? And I find this really helpful for me that when I'm feeling in that state of procrastination and overwhelm to write things out and actually then to read them out loud. So not just write but read it out loud. So then I can really just reflect on how what I've written is making me feel. So I'm going to give you a couple of prompts for you to do this yourself as well. One of the things that I always write down, and then I read back to myself is, I'm sitting here procrastinating about... And then I also then asked myself, which means that I am not, and I complete the sentence as well. And then the next sentence I asked myself is, which is affecting me or my...? So you can see where I'm going with this, but it really makes sense for me than to actually sit down, write that out, read it out loud, and then reflect on what's really happening. And sometimes, I need external help. Sometimes I need to ring up a friend or a colleague and just say, look, this is what's going on. I need somebody just to help me just to talk this through. I know a lot of us work on our own, and sometimes we feel like asking for help can be a sign of weakness, but it really is not. And we really have to get out of that mindset. We should just all be helping each other.
Our lives have become so silo sometimes that we can get scared about asking for help. And it doesn't always mean that you have to pay for help. You could be just talking to a girlfriend or, as I said, a pair or a colleague or somebody that you know who may be able to help. And then when you continue to think about what we're procrastinating about, think about how your state of mind is, and is that procrastination draining you? Is it crippling you? Are you continuing to play the comparison game? And does it stop you in your tracks? And I want you to think about this from a bigger picture perspective. Sometimes we were playing the comparison game. We don't know the full picture of somebody else's journey. And I know you've heard this before, but just remember that sometimes we get caught up with all the things that we see on social media, what we hear on the news and we see on TV about how this person has become so successful doing this, this and this. And then we forget that they've been at this for the last 10 to 15 years and they're now, just starting to see some success. So just as a reminder, remember that your path might not be the same as somebody else's. So don't be so hard on yourself. Continue doing you. Continue believing in yourself, continue doing all of the things in the background that help you to boost your confidence, to keep putting one step forward to get into that goal all that desire.
I have learned a lot from the people that I've brought on to share their stories and their expertise. And I really just want to continue to be able to share what they do and how it has been beneficial to my life and also how it can be beneficial to yours. So I really hope that you have listened to as many episodes as you can, and that is really helping you on your journey to living your thriving life. I know for myself, as a business owner, a mother, a sister, a wife, everything that we do day-to-day can really make you feel overwhelmed sometimes. I've just come out of that state myself, where I felt a little bit overwhelmed with everything that's going on in the world. And I've just finished my menses, and that came early due to stress.
Sometimes life doesn't go the way you want it to go. I had all of these plans and actions that I wanted to get done last week. And realistically, I just needed to stop, rest, review and restore. I check in within myself when I am at that state of overwhelming because this is the subject where I know a lot of us are going through because of the pace of life, the world's opened up so we're now getting back into that do, do, do, do phase. And sometimes we forget that we need to continue to look after ourselves to be able to go at the pace that we want to go at.
It's really important that you get to spend quality time with your family and your loved one on a one-to-one basis. So how do I make sure all of these things happen? And you know what I'm going to say, but I'm going to say it anyway, I have to have a plan and I have to have a schedule because I am at that age that not everything sticks. Especially as I just said, if I haven't been taking care of myself, then my brain is not functioning well. And so with that, and be in perimenopausal and being a mom and a business owner and a wife and a sister, and yada yada yada, I can't remember everything. So I need to have a plan. I need to have a schedule. Do I stick to those things 100%? No. However, I have a flexible plan. I have a plan and I have a schedule with lots of white space in it for those times when shit goes left. And that way, I don't feel guilty about it.
I know a lot of people who like to work organically. However, for me, and for a lot of business owners and some of my clients, we need to have that structure in place because it means that you have a plan that you can stick to if needs to be. And again, as I said, sometimes you don't stick to that plan and that's okay. There's always another day for you to get stuff done. However, at least, you know where you're going because that's one of the key things that can really overwhelm is when you've got this big plan and you know you need to get it done, however, you don't know how to get it done. You don't know how to break it down. You don't know what needs to be done first. So for me, my first step would be to do a brain dump. Do a brain dump of everything that needs to be done. Then start to work it into a plan of action. And if I don't do that, then I don't feel fulfilled on my working days and I can't move forward because I'll have that in my mind that I didn't get the things that I needed to get done.
And then I start to feel really bad about myself because then I'm like, I didn't get the things that I needed to get done this week. And now, I'm going to have to wait until next Tuesday. And how am I going to ensure that my business is growing and all of that overwhelm, floods into my family life? So for me, a plan is so important just to make sure that I have all of the things that I want to get done on paper and then I start to work on that plan.
For me, I am building my business around my baby girl because I want to spend as much time as I can with her while she's little, but as she grows up also. That is my big why. My big why is to ensure that I can grow, I can still be Eleshia because ultimately I was Eleshia before I had my daughter, and I loved what I did. But I want to be able to do it in a way that works for my family and works for me. To do that, I need to make sure that I've got a hand on what's coming up, what needs to be done, and how I'm going to get that done. Try not to make this difficult for yourself. Think about the things that you can delegate to somebody else. I know sometimes it feels like you are the only one that can do those certain jobs, but believe me, sometimes we are being the enablers. I know this very well. I've done it a lot throughout my life. And now, I'm saying to you, learn from my lessons. Start delegating sooner rather than later. So that way you will also have some more time to be able to do the things that you need to do to ensure that you're looking after yourself, and enjoy your life.
And then let's talk about that in a critic. How can you lessen the noise? I'm not going to say stop the noise because maybe that's a longer process. But what can you do to lessen the noise? I find, again, just by writing things out. My brain is so busy. There are so many things to think about and to remember, and I'm sure you're the same. I am thinking about my daughter, I'm thinking about her activities, her nursery, what she's going to have for dinner. I'm thinking about the family. I'm thinking about the business. I'm thinking about my brother and his well-being, and all of the things, and myself, and yada yada yada. And sometimes, just getting stuff out of my brain and onto paper can be so useful. Sometimes I don't, but just getting it out of my head. It can just help so much with the critic, with the overwhelm, with the procrastination. And it can just help with that part of moving me forward.
So as we go into different seasons of our business and our personal life, it's time to think about the things that may not be working for you or may not be aligned with your vision or the lifestyle that you want to live going forward. And so it's time to think about ways to get back into alignment. And sometimes this can be a really hard question to ask yourself, so let it breathe a little bit. Don't just rush into saying, oh gosh, I'm going to strip this, this, and this out. But really think about it hopefully over the holiday time period. You've got some downtime where you can actually just sit and reflect about how this year went for you and some of the things that you loved and you enjoyed about this year and some of the things that you didn't. Maybe, actually, celebrate all of your wins. I talk about celebrating your wins a lot, but maybe this is the time where you actually sit down and you're like, yes, I did this, I did this, I did this. I didn't get to do this, but maybe that's something for next year. And maybe I can find a way of breaking it all down and making it work for me this time, as opposed to just going in for the bigger goal. So really use this downtime to concentrate on just dreaming about what you want. And that ties in really well too, maybe it's time to think about some forward planning. Now, if planning is not your thing, it's not your thing. But also, maybe that's why things are not working out. Who knows? I know for me when I don't plan something out, and I don't plan to an inch of my life. However, if I don't have some goals or a plan that's underpinning my big picture, so if I don't know what I want to do in 90 days, six months a year, even two years down the line, then I get very distracted because I'm a multi-passionate person. So if I don't know what I'm working towards, then I can go left instead of right. I saw this post a few weeks ago, and I think it was from Mel Robbins and she said, stop buying shit you don't need. You don't need a new air fryer. I think it was around the time of Black Friday. You need to set new goals. And I was like, yes. We all need to set new goals. Goals that are going to serve us not somebody else's goals. The goals that we know that we want to achieve. Because ultimately, it's about us.
So yes, there might be something that you think your clients may need, but are you going to enjoy actually putting out that product or that service? Are you going to find joy out of doing that, or are you just doing it because you think that's what they want? Have you ever asked them what they want? Ah, think about that. When it comes to self-sabotage, I always remind people of this because I know how hard it is to see somebody leave us without getting to fulfill their dreams. So I always remind myself when I am self-sabotaging that I'm not here forever. I saw this with my mom. My mom was in her early fifties when she passed away. And so I have to remember that life is so precious and it can be taken away at any time. Eleshia, you have to continue to move one step forward to the dream that you want to get to. And so I invite you to do the same. And I know it may feel like it is a bit morbid, but remember you're not here forever. So if there are things that you want to do, start to plan them out and start to work that plan as much as you can to get to where you want to get to. Because one thing you don't want to do is live with regrets. I can honestly say that I don't have any regrets at the moment.
I just wanted to share with you some of the insights that I have learned. It made me really think about what things I need to just tweak in my lifestyle to make sure that I am really getting the best out of me. Really getting the best out of taking responsibility for my life, making sure that I say yes to me now, and I'm not waiting. And why should we wait? If you've listened to that conversation, you know we went into a lot. We talked about trauma. We talked about healing your trauma. We talked about how you can really just say yes to yourself now and just enjoy the small pleasures. So that's what I'm going to talk about today. So I'm going to share with you the things that have really helped me with my mindset, helping me grow my business, looking after my family, enjoying life, and just making sure that I'm okay because that is really important.
So firstly, let's talk about boundaries, and I'm not a big boundaries girl. I say yes, yes, yes, yes to everything. So I am learning not to say yes to everything, and I am forgiving myself for giving myself permission to do that. Saying yes is a learned behavior. For me, I have always been a people pleaser. I get joy out of seeing people happy. I get joy out of making people happy. But sometimes, that doesn't make me always happy, or in the past, it hasn't. So I am learning to continue to create boundaries for my life and the lifestyle that I really want to have. So that's one of the things that I've been doing more recently.
I am big on investing time in yourself. That is my tagline. "Invest in you to invest in your business." And even with the year that we've just had, I have found small pockets of time to just spend time on my own. And that is okay to do. We have so many things that we're juggling, but sometimes we feel guilty about giving ourselves some breathing space to just actually do something that makes you happy. So for me, that might look like just having time to read my favorite book or actually watch something on TV that I don't want to have the whole family watching. I'm well and truly into Housewives. That is my escapism, I know because I don't have to think about it. I also love any kind of program to do with the property. So that is my thing. And I love spending time just doing that for myself. It doesn't have to be going to a spa or so forth. I just need some time to reset. And that's how I enjoy just having even an hour to myself where I can watch my program without any interruptions. So that's something that I really enjoy doing for myself.
So in episode seven, I can't believe that I've just said episode seven when we're now well into our thirties. I talked about trauma and simple ways of how you can invest in yourself. And so, I am forever working on trauma. It is real, people. I've had a lot of trauma in my life personally and through work. And so I am working on this on a day-to-day basis. And sometimes, it's really hard because, as I've mentioned before, I've had to set some clear boundaries. And that's not just from a business perspective, but that's with regards to the people that I have around me from family and friends. And it can be difficult sometimes, but I have to remember that for my own sanity and to continue with my healing, I have to do this. So my question to you is, what are you doing to heal yourself from any traumas that you may have experienced in your life? Or are you continuing to let them affect you? And I know, as I said, the trauma would always come up. But don't just push them down within because that's when we become sick. And I really do honestly believe that I saw it in my mom. I saw the fact that there were many people that took advantage of her, and I saw that within my mom and it was not nice to see.
So for me, even though I haven't been able to go on any solo retreats this year, they're coming, they're coming. What I have been able to do is to prioritize some time within my diary, just to ensure that I've got some quiet time just to reflect and just to check in with myself. So I have been using Wednesdays for that for taking long walks, taking myself to breakfast, enjoying my own company, checking in with people that I really enjoy spending time with. And that's all part of my self-care regime. That's been really useful. For me, just having that time where I don't have to worry about anybody else, everybody else is taken care of. But I'm able to spend that time doing things for me. So my question to you is, is there a way that you could start off with maybe giving yourself half an hour or an hour per week where you can just concentrate on yourself? And the goal is to make it half a day and a day or however long you want throughout the week. But just making sure that you actually concentrate on filling up your cup a little bit more than you have been. I know, for me, December has been hard because as I said, there are so many things going on. I am definitely emotionally charged. And so, it's been really useful for me just to ensure that I keep on filling up my cup where I can. So helpful. So although I don't really like to do it often, I've been really exercising that no muscle, or not right now. And it's been really helpful just to ensure that I can give back to myself, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm really, really enjoying it.
I think it's important just to have some foundations in place. So when you sit down at your desk, you are as prepared as you can be to get that work done in the allocated time that you have put aside for it so that you can then go and do all of the things that you really love to do. I've mentioned before that I work in condensed hours and I work around the family, and I really love that. I really love the flexibility that I have to do that. But I also know that when I have work to do, I just want to get things done. So it's really important for me to just be as organized as I can be. Sometimes it feels like it's a chaotic kind of organized. But sometimes that's how I have to roll especially with a two-year-old. Sometimes my well-organized and well-thought-through plans just don't go to plan, and that's okay. Especially if you know that that's okay and that you have things that you've already put in place for those moments. Then that is really going to help you not to feel overwhelmed as much as you may have done in the past.
I also like to be able to just do morning brain dumps or even evening brain dumps of everything that I want to get done over the course of the day, or anything that comes to mind, I like to just write it down. And then at the end of the day, then I review it, and then I decide whether I'm going to do it the next day or if it's something that can be left to another time. So try not to get overwhelmed when you start to think about planning out your business days or your working days. Try and make it as simple as possible for yourself. As humans, we are constantly in planning mode. And then when it comes to our businesses, we resist it. And then we start to wonder why our businesses are not growing, or we don't have strategies in place to grow our businesses. And that's usually because we don't have a plan underpinning what it is we want to do, where and how far we want to take our businesses, how we want to scale our businesses, and what we need to put into place for growth.
So this is talking about episode 22. So let's talk about your foundations. Do you just rock up to your desk and then decide what you're working on? Or do you intentionally know what you're working on? For me, I need to know because I only have certain pockets of time and I find it really useful. Having my daughter has really made me realize how much I can actually squeeze into, let's say, 60 to 90 minutes. I've just learned to be a lot more intentional with my time because it is limited. And so, for me, it's been really beneficial knowing exactly what I am rocking up to my desk to work on. And I think I've mentioned it before, I like to time block. But sometimes when I know I'm just going to get the three things that I had on my list done, I then just try and do that in a 90-minute time block. And then, just try and ensure that I don't have any distractions. That can be quite hard sometimes but I try to lessen the distractions that I have around me. And it can really work really well. Take, for example, a couple of nights ago, I had client notes to write. I had client check-ins to do. I had emails and text messages to answer. I had to go into my scheduler and block out some time to ensure that I wasn't overbooking myself. I also had podcasts edits to do, and the newsletter edit to do. I was able to do all of those things within a two-hour period. And it just helped me stay focused. I played some hip hop in the background to keep me energized, and I just got to work. It made me feel so good afterward. So sometimes, don't put so much pressure on yourself. This goes back to procrastination and overwhelm.
Sometimes you just need to write that list down and actually just go through that list one by one and get the things done. Give yourself that time limit. Remember what Jac and I discussed when we talked about, so it's about copywriting in episode 32. She uses palms to get the work that she doesn't want to get done done. I do the same. I do 25-minute sessions where I just stick a timer on and I get whatever I can do in 25 minutes. And usually, you take a five-minute break and then I switch it up and move on to something else. It's just really useful for me. Just to have that external accountability of the timer to really just focus me in on the tasks that I need to get done. Maybe try and do that so that you're not distracting yourself, and your mind does not go in and mind a minute, and you know exactly what you need to concentrate on. Start with writing a list, set it on a timer, and then go in for it.
I know I talk about this a lot and it's because you have to invest in yourself. You, 100%, have to look after yourselves because I'm sure we've all been there where we have been burning the candles at both ends. And then the next thing you know, you can't even get out of bed. You can't even lift your head out of bed. You just want to stay underneath the duvets and just let the days go past. And yes, I recommend if you can to get as much rest as you can, get those naps in when you can. But we can't all live like that especially if you're trying to look after yourself, you're trying to run your business, you're looking after small people. You may be looking after your parents. You have a lot of responsibilities. I don't even want to say it's really important. It is a necessity that you take into consideration what you need.
Let's tackle burnout first because it's real. I know because I can always feel when I may be approaching that place where I know that I've been doing far too much, and I may have been ignoring the warning signs. I've discussed it previously in different episodes and now, I'm trying to live my life as best as I can to ensure that I look after me first. Because for so long, I have made sure that everybody else is okay. So in this season, you know how I love to say that. In this season of my life where I am perimenopausal, I need to make sure that I do. And again, yes, I harp on about this a lot but that's because it is really important. And I want you to take this information and implement it because we need to still thrive, people. We really do. We need to make sure that we are showing up for ourselves, for our businesses, for our families, for our legacies, for our ancestors. I never really used that term that often, and then I really thought about it and I really thought about my mom. I really thought about the fact that she is not here to be my cheerleader in person, but she is still cheering me on. And I need to make sure that I am quiet enough to hear her. When I do get quiet and I hear her, and I remember some of the things that she used to say to me, to lift my spirit, to help me move forward, and then I start to implement those practices again.
I'm on fire, so all of the magic is within, as Michelle said. I love to say, it's all within us and we have to take those quiet moments to really listen. That's one of the reasons why I have really benefitted from being still and quiet in the last 18 months. I have really, really done a lot of work on listening to myself, listening to my needs and just nourishing my needs, just enjoying, spending time on practicing my health and well-being, and showing up for me and standing in my own power and doing the things that I really want to do to move me forward.
Yes, this has been grateful from a business perspective, but I am my business and I know that. So for me, making sure that I am standing strong and I am grounded, and I am doing what is necessary for me to continue to be that way and to honor that. That, for me, is everything. Burnout is a thing, and we don't want you there. We do not want you there. and this is the whole reason why my brand is about making sure your health is at the forefront of your business because, without it, you have no business. But we are going to talk about more business, don't you worry. I just wanted to really set the foundations because that's one of the things that I say to my clients a lot. If you don't have your foundations right in your business, in your health and wellbeing, then it's really hard to then scale. I really hope you understand why I have spent so many episodes talking about how we can be looking after ourselves and why all of my wonderful guests have been guests because they have expertise in the health and well-being space. It's just really important for me to share information that I've had access to help somebody else who may not have heard it or may have heard it differently, and now really gets it from the way we've articulated it on the show. So let me know, but we are not here to be all singing or dancing Mary Poppins, Superwomen or Supermen. We need to make sure that we are here for as long as we can be, and that means that we have to look after ourselves.
And then let's not forget about burnout. Last week, I did a whole episode about how I am preparing for the holidays from a lifestyle, a business perspective, what I'm doing for myself. So if you've not listened to that, go back and listen to it because it's so important. I remember when I used to work in corporate, every December without a foul, I used to be sick because for 11 months I would go, go, go, go, go. Even when I was on a holiday, I was still thinking about work. So I never fully recharged. I learned from my mistakes. Go back and listen to episode 20 also about how I conquer burnout. And just ensure that you have given yourself that space. And remember delegation. Delegation is my word for 2022. I am going to be delegating as much as I can to other people to ensure that I continue to live in my genius so I have the capability to show up for myself And everybody else that is listening to this podcast, all of my clients, my family, my friends. But if I don't listen to those signs, then that is not going to happen. So I urge you to listen to these last two episodes that I've mentioned so that you can conquer burnout too.
How is your overall plan looking? I know I've mentioned planning again, but make sure that your plan is as flexible as it can be. And so when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I know that I've got white space in my schedule that I can be like just down tools and just think about one thing that I can do for myself and one thing that I can do for my business to move that forward as well, and everything else stops. Because if we keep on spiraling then nothing gets done. Nothing gets done. Remember to create as much white space as you can, especially when it comes to the holiday. And also ask yourself why, why what you're doing is important to you? Why won't you're physically doing is important to you? And then delegate the rest. And this is huge. This is so huge for me right now, because I have been in that place where I have been the enabler. I have thought that I am the only one that could do things the best and, yes, I'm not an expert on everything. So delegate things if you know that it's going to take you more time than somebody else.
And that's what I'm going to be doing because I want my brain to relax. And also, I want to be able to switch off and I want to go back to doing just me and watching million dollar listing and drinking a glass of Prosecco because that's the only thing that I can drink right now. But I'm going to tell you more about that in a different episode. So anyway, go back and listen, or we listened to episodes 7, 20, 15, 22, and 29 that I have referenced in this episode. And all of them are based on you and simple strategies that you can adapt to help you go into your next season. I really hope that this episode helped you think about things that you may want to implement to help your lifestyle run a little bit smoother. Take care. Until the next time.
I really hope you enjoyed this episode of The Eleshia Show. If you loved this episode as much as I did, head over and rate and subscribe so you'll never miss an episode. New episodes drop every week on a Wednesday. I can't wait to hang out with you again soon. And lastly, remember to invest in yourself first because you are important and amazing. Take care. Until next time. Bye-bye.
