Two hours in the bathtub might be more efficient….
We play many roles. We are mothers, daughters, wifes, lovers and businesswomen! Running a business is not a job. It is a passion, a profession, a life! You are your business!
Working in a part-time job next to our business or working out of the home-office pushes women even more. As Time is often short, we constantly ask ourselves: How can I be more efficient? How can I be a (more) successful businesswoman?
Be more efficient may not always be what you think it is….
Being more efficient puts some weird pictures in our heads. Long work hours you have to put in, nights in the office, dim light at your desk…you being tired, but you know, that you HAVE TO! Only a persistent input gives you good results!
I do not say you should be persistent! Persistence aka your “keep going” is your major power tool in running a business. The question is: How will your persistence look like? Endless hours at your desk or a mix of “deep work” and phases of relaxing.
Coming out of Cooperate, you may live in the acceptance that “long hours” are “good hours”, that your desk-presence is more important than your efficiency. Being self-employed you will realize fast, that the number of hours you will put in will not make you automatically more successful. You may rather run directly in your first (and hopefully last) burnout.
Some times it might be more efficient to spend two hours in the bathtub than to force yourself back to your desk and your computer…In the warm soothing water, you may just relax and gain back your strength or you may even read a helpful book, you would otherwise “never find the time for.”
More efficient: 4 women in 4 weeks
Women are not men, as men are not women. We are different and those differences are good. They make the world what it is and we are certainly more successful as humans, when we make optimal use of both sexes and their special traits.
The female body runs a very special hormone program every month, that makes sure mankind does not cease to exist. This monthly routine comes with some special features, especially to our energy level. Our major hormones are estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen is in the lead during the first to weeks of the cycle. Comparing these weeks with the seasons spring and summer. As nature wakes up and puts a lot of energy in growing, your body restructured and sets out to set up the space for possible new life in your uterus. Your energy levels are high, you will be outgoing, fun and a great people person. You like attending networking events, talking to people and are in a general good mood.
You may not notice, that work just flows in those weeks. You will master everything with ease, sometimes putting in long hours without notecing or getting stuff done on the fly. Life is great!
Make week 3 and 4 more efficient
In week 3 and 4 of your cycle the hormone progesterone takes over. This hormone makes sure, the inner lining of the uterus is ready for a possible baby…it also makes us more sleepy, we do not have that much energy any more and we tend to stay “in”. Inside our homes and our heads! Be aware that in “autumn” and “winter” you tend to overthink, you doubt more and your inner (negative) voices might be much louder than you like. You rather spend an evening on the couch than at the fancy networking event you‘ve been looking forward for the last 2 weeks. Now all of a sudden, you don’t want to go…You may also go for the sugar-rush to get quick energy, just to notice, that it may not help. Low progesterone levels may lead to PMS. I guess we’ve all been there at some point.
Keep your schedule less camped in those weeks. Make sure you find time to relax and calm down. You will be rewarded with extra energy in week 1 + 2. Just realize: the more you act against your body, the worse the effects in “autumn” and “winter“.
Be more efficient using your bodies wisdom
I had times, when I was pushing myself so hard, that in the last week of my cycle I was not functioning. It took me a while to understand. It was not period problems that knocked me out. No! I was just sick. I either had terrible headaches or sometimes even fever. Whatever it was: I was 1 – 2 days in bed. Sick! My body obviously understood the command: “I need some time off!”
That was before my breakdown in 2009. Reoccuring patterns of pushing to or way over my limit (building up my first business and taking care of two small kids at the same time), made me sick on a monthly basis. At one point my health collapsed completely. My self-created hamster wheel stopped and finally I took the time to think and to observe my former behaviour.
Working in Waves will make your more efficient!
Every woman is different. Every business is different! Depending on your business (and other obligations and roles you have to attend to) you could structure your month accordingly. I don’t want to go to the extreme with that, because there will be appointments you can not be able to move or your cycle is just so messed up, that there would be no way of planning. What I want you to do is to observe yourself. Notice how much energy you have or if you need more breaks than the day before.
For me it was more efficient to work in “Waves”. So automatically I did put in more hours and drive in the first two weeks often working some hours in the evening, when the kids been in bed already. The last week of the cycle I often felt tired. After my breakdown I did listen to my body and slowed down. No evening shifts, sometimes days where I just sat down with an interesting book or watched a motivational movie. You are your business. You decide! You don’t need to run in your self-made hamster wheel. You can also walk! And you are allowed to take time out for you. To take care of you!
Be more efficient: keep track of your time…and your head chatter!
“I did not do a lot today!” My client is frustrated about her workday. She tells herself: “You are not efficient! You are not a successful businesswoman.” The head chatter continues: “Are you a businesswoman anyway?“
Instead of looking at her worktime and the things, she achieved in those hours, she beats herself up. Her inner voices trample her achievements down!
Keep track of your time, keep track of the things you actually did. You will be surprised how much it may be! Some days are so full of events and tasks, that you‘ll forget half of them. The next day you may wonder, why you are so tired. Was it because of the networking event you participated last night? Or the appointments you had with your clients that took an hour longer than expected?
Make sure you are aware of your head chatter! Do not let your inner voices, those “Mad Mary”s or “Panic Patricias” ruin your achievements. Be aware that those voices get louder in week 3 and 4 of your monthly cycle…BUT keep in mind: We do have hormones, but we are not our hormones!
So be more efficient cleaning up your inner world!
Creatrix® Transformology® is a most powerful tool to calm those inner voices and to transform the “Mad Mary” into a trustworthy “Advisory Anna”.
Want to know more how I did calm my inner voices? Just contact me!
Books to read:
We play many roles. We are mothers, daughters, wifes, lovers and businesswomen! Running a business is not a job. It is a passion, a profession, a life! You are your business!
Working in a part-time job next to our business or working out of the home-office pushes women even more. As Time is often short, we constantly ask ourselves: How can I be more efficient? How can I be a (more) successful businesswoman?
Be more efficient may not always be what you think it is….
Being more efficient puts some weird pictures in our heads. Long work hours you have to put in, nights in the office, dim light at your desk…you being tired, but you know, that you HAVE TO! Only a persistent input gives you good results!
I do not say you should be persistent! Persistence aka your “keep going” is your major power tool in running a business. The question is: How will your persistence look like? Endless hours at your desk or a mix of “deep work” and phases of relaxing.
Coming out of Cooperate, you may live in the acceptance that “long hours” are “good hours”, that your desk-presence is more important than your efficiency. Being self-employed you will realize fast, that the number of hours you will put in will not make you automatically more successful. You may rather run directly in your first (and hopefully last) burnout.
Some times it might be more efficient to spend two hours in the bathtub than to force yourself back to your desk and your computer…In the warm soothing water, you may just relax and gain back your strength or you may even read a helpful book, you would otherwise “never find the time for.”
More efficient: 4 women in 4 weeks
Women are not men, as men are not women. We are different and those differences are good. They make the world what it is and we are certainly more successful as humans, when we make optimal use of both sexes and their special traits.
For those who want to dive deeper into the topic:
I recommend the following book to read:
The female body runs a very special hormone program every month, that makes sure mankind does not cease to exist. This monthly routine comes with some special features, especially to our energy level. Our major hormones are estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen is in the lead during the first to weeks of the cycle. Comparing these weeks with the seasons spring and summer. As nature wakes up and puts a lot of energy in growing, your body restructured and sets out to set up the space for possible new life in your uterus. Your energy levels are high, you will be outgoing, fun and a great people person. You like attending networking events, talking to people and are in a general good mood.
You may not notice, that work just flows in those weeks. You will master everything with ease, sometimes putting in long hours without notecing or getting stuff done on the fly. Life is great!
Make week 3 and 4 more efficient
In week 3 and 4 of your cycle the hormone progesterone takes over. This hormone makes sure, the inner lining of the uterus is ready for a possible baby…it also makes us more sleepy, we do not have that much energy any more and we tend to stay “in”. Inside our homes and our heads! Be aware that in “autumn” and “winter” you tend to overthink, you doubt more and your inner (negative) voices might be much louder than you like. You rather spend an evening on the couch than at the fancy networking event you‘ve been looking forward for the last 2 weeks. Now all of a sudden, you don’t want to go…You may also go for the sugar-rush to get quick energy, just to notice, that it may not help. Low progesterone levels may lead to PMS. I guess we’ve all been there at some point.
Keep your schedule less camped in those weeks. Make sure you find time to relax and calm down. You will be rewarded with extra energy in week 1 + 2. Just realize: the more you act against your body, the worse the effects in “autumn” and “winter“.
Be more efficient using your bodies wisdom
I had times, when I was pushing myself so hard, that in the last week of my cycle I was not functioning. It took me a while to understand. It was not period problems that knocked me out. No! I was just sick. I either had terrible headaches or sometimes even fever. Whatever it was: I was 1 – 2 days in bed. Sick! My body obviously understood the command: “I need some time off!”
That was before my breakdown in 2009. Reoccuring patterns of pushing to or way over my limit (building up my first business and taking care of two small kids at the same time), made me sick on a monthly basis. At one point my health collapsed completely. My self-created hamster wheel stopped and finally I took the time to think and to observe my former behaviour.
Working in Waves will make your more efficient!
Every woman is different. Every business is different! Depending on your business (and other obligations and roles you have to attend to) you could structure your month accordingly. I don’t want to go to the extreme with that, because there will be appointments you can not be able to move or your cycle is just so messed up, that there would be no way of planning. What I want you to do is to observe yourself. Notice how much energy you have or if you need more breaks than the day before.
For me it was more efficient to work in “Waves”. So automatically I did put in more hours and drive in the first two weeks often working some hours in the evening, when the kids been in bed already. The last week of the cycle I often felt tired. After my breakdown I did listen to my body and slowed down. No evening shifts, sometimes days where I just sat down with an interesting book or watched a motivational movie. You are your business. You decide! You don’t need to run in your self-made hamster wheel. You can also walk! And you are allowed to take time out for you. To take care of you!
Be more efficient: keep track of your time…and your head chatter!
“I did not do a lot today!” My client is frustrated about her workday. She tells herself: “You are not efficient! You are not a successful businesswoman.” The head chatter continues: “Are you a businesswoman anyway?“
Instead of looking at her worktime and the things, she achieved in those hours, she beats herself up. Her inner voices trample her achievements down!
Keep track of your time, keep track of the things you actually did. You will be surprised how much it may be! Some days are so full of events and tasks, that you‘ll forget half of them. The next day you may wonder, why you are so tired. Was it because of the networking event you participated last night? Or the appointments you had with your clients that took an hour longer than expected?
Make sure you are aware of your head chatter! Do not let your inner voices, those “Mad Mary”s or “Panic Patricias” ruin your achievements. Be aware that those voices get louder in week 3 and 4 of your monthly cycle…BUT keep in mind: We do have hormones, but we are not our hormones!
So be more efficient cleaning up your inner world!
Creatrix® Transformology® is a most powerful tool to calm those inner voices and to transform the “Mad Mary” into a trustworthy “Advisory Anna”.
Want to know more how I did calm my inner voices? Just contact me!