Is it just me or does Monday seem to come around fast? Perhaps it’s because we’ve been in this constant Groundhog Day of the weekdays and weekends rolling into one for so long now.
The kitchen has become the office, the living room the pub, club and restaurant and the downstairs loo somewhere that you can hide from the rest of the family if you’re lucky…
There we are still sat in our pj’s at 11am taking over the world one email at a time.
Well, some of us are…er um my husband!
Home working once the topic of many work-based negotiations has become our normal.
As we ease out of lockdown and many of us will have the opportunity to return to our places of work, there are still those who have chosen the life of an entrepreneurial business owner or are self-employed who will remain working alone.
Isolation and working alone is noted as one of the top challenges of self-employment, with many
UK’s self-employed having said they’ve experienced loneliness.
Now please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t want this article to be all doom and gloom especially as we finally start to enjoy the opportunity to socialise once again, and life starts to open up to us. BUT I do want to pay homage to the many single people who have not only had to survive living alone during this pandemic but also working alone.
I want to acknowledge the solopreneurs, self-employed, the small business owners, artists, anyone who works alone in order to share their talents with the world, in this article.
My advice is usually the same that I give the self-employed and small business owners I work with; following these 5 weekly habits are a really good place to start to beat the business blues!
These are habits I live by myself having learned first-hand the impact of loneliness in business.
I like to be alone, but I hate to be lonely.
⒈ Talk about what you are going through. Looking after your mental health should be your number 1
priority in business. Your business needs you and talking it through is so important. Make time as a
busy self-employed person to add ‘time to talk’ to your schedule. Reach out to friends, family, those
close to you and talk about work, life and mental health.
I know I know sometimes it can feel difficult to talk especially if you find opening up difficult to do or
you don’t feel your support network necessarily understands what’s it’s like to run a business. BUT
don’t give up, help those around you understand by talking.
Help yourself to open up by practicing doing so.
Talking about your feelings can help you stay in good mental health and deal with challenging times.
2. Starting and building a new business is an incredible journey, but it can sometimes feel like a lonely
and overwhelming uphill battle too. My advice here (which I wish I’d taken sooner myself) is to join an
online community.
FIND YOUR TRIBE. Find the people that support and encourage you. Connect with individuals you
feel you can learn from, that you are able to be your true self in front of and hopefully also enjoy some
fun with too.
Find networking groups either in person or online. What events can you attend where you can interact
and meet new people?
REMEMBER not everything has to be about business. What do you enjoy doing on a social level or as
a hobby? Get out there, join a club and say Hi!
Can’t find anything that you like? – start your own Club or Community. When I first graduated as a
Coach I felt completely lost and didn’t know where to start when it came to finding my community or
building my business. Fast track to today’s date (after a lot of wasted years) and I’ve launched
The Coach Connection Club for exactly that reason. I don’t want another new coach to have the
same experience that did. I don’t want another new coach to feel overwhelmed and confused
ultimately resulting in them never actually starting their coaching business.
AND while I’ve got your attention, I’m also going to go out on a limb here and say don’t ditch the
online as soon as face to face becomes possible again. You’re much more likely to click the Zoom link
than you are to get in your car or catch a train when you’re a busy person running a busy business.
Make it easy for yourself to stay connected – keep some of your community online.
Take the time to network, go to events and meet people in a similar situation.
3. Find a Co-working Space. This can be as simple as your local coffee shop, to something more deluxe
and expensive such as hot-desking options with Spaceworks and EasyOffice (other options are
available).
If you’ve got the budget, why not lease an office or look for sub-letting option with other companies.
For the lone worker being in a shared environment can create a sense of community, conversation, a
nice buzz and often clients!
Let’s not forget that with many environments there is free WIFI and heating and other facilities so you
can give your home a little rest from providing all those services.
Getting dressed up and leaving our home will often increase our confidence and a co-working space
our productivity and energy. So as a bare minimum challenge yourself to work in a couple of different
locations during the week to change things up, perhaps one day a coffee shop, the next at your gym.
Determine what makes you feel good and wear it!
4. Find company in Podcasts and the radio. Have you ever noticed that the sound of the television or
the radio in the background helps you feel not so alone? I certainly have.
Many people find television and boxsets too distracting, so podcasts and the radio are great
alternatives.
You may choose to stop and actually take a break and listen to a daily podcast, or you could choose
to listen to a podcast during a walk.
Pop the radio on in the background. This background noise can really help to break the silence plus
we all recognise that feel good factor of our favourite song coming on the radio.
Help beat the business blues as a lone worker by creating an atmospheric environment in your home.
Music elevates mood.
5. Don’t forget to build selfcare activities into your day. What are you doing to relax and reenergise
throughout the day? Are you making time for your hobby?
Are you taking time to exercise and fuel your body in a way that gives you the energy that you need
with healthy food?
Are you remembering the simple act of drinking enough water?
When I talk to other business owners the number one thing that comes up time and time again if that
we don’t take enough breaks during the day. Do you remember those water cooler conversations that
used to make you laugh and replenish you so that you could finish the day or that lovely walk to and
from the sandwich shop? I do, and the walk from my kitchen to home office doesn’t count and barely
gets noticed by my exercise ring on my watch.
Try setting your alarm on your phone to remind you to take a break until it becomes part of your daily
routine.
Hands up if you’ve worked on Christmas Day and it wasn’t because you had to 🙋🏼
Yes! Exactly my point…we need to remember to take breaks and time off.
I’m a big fan of getting outside. As the owner of two dogs, I have no excuse no matter the weather
which I’m glad for. Getting out into the fresh air has so many health and mental benefits and you
never know who might strike up a conversation with you. Even a nod and a hello as you walk past
someone can really help shift your mood.
You might even challenge yourself to start a conversation with a stranger.
It’s about finding the right balance for yourself. It can feel very lonely to work all day to the point of
exhaustion, eat something not healthy and head to bed all in the name of being self-employed.
Find ways to value yourself each and every day through selfcare.
AND my final BONUS tip is to work with a business coach. For me working with a business coach has made a big difference to my life and business and I also get the same feedback from my clients. Working with a coach can help you to feel part of a team, it gives you face to face connection at least once a week via Zoom calls or in person. This dynamic not only drives your business forward but also give you a relationship built on similar circumstances.
Book a clarity call for business coaching with me today to start beating those business blues.
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