Love Yourself, Love Your Business: Self-Care in the Age of the Gig Economy

Today guest writer Courtney Rosenfeld talks about one of our favorite subjects at Dream On Youth Self care and extending your self-care practice to your small business or side-hustle.

Self-care might be one of the hardest things to devote time to, especially when you are an entrepreneur with a full-time job and are starting a new gig on the side. Maintaining the proper balance between taking care of yourself and working on your side hustle is an art, and we aren’t all experts at it the first time around.

However, it is essential to keep yourself healthy — both mentally and physically — and to carve out the time necessary to stay this course of self-acceptance and self-preservation. Especially now in the time of the “gig economy,” we are all working on our side hustles and need a reminder to pay attention to our own needs.

Radical Self-love and Business

A big part of self-care, especially when you’re an entrepreneur who’s trying to build an empire while maintaining full-time work for another company, is making sure you take the time to celebrate and love yourself. It cannot be easy. You want to do more, to be more. But you can’t do or be more if you burn out, so take the time to enjoy the time you have with yourself and give yourself room to grow.

Bringing the concept of “radical self-love” into your business relationships is easier said than done. First, we have to accept our faults, understand where we need to improve, and then take the steps necessary to get to where we need to be. Taking care of ourselves is only one rung on that ladder; this will improve your business practices in more ways than one. If you have an open, honest relationship with yourself, you can have a similar relationship with your business partners and clients, which will allow you to focus on the success of your brand.

Daily Meditation

Another critical way to take care of yourself is to take care of your mind and body -- and meditation is one way to achieve that goal. By relaxing for several minutes per day and opening your mind purposefully to achieve a level of relaxation and self-awareness that you perhaps can’t attain during regular activity, you can perceive the myriad benefits of daily meditation practice. For example, when you meditate, it increases your cognitive function, improves your ability to empathize, and increases the level of attention you pay to the activities happening around you. In addition, creating a daily meditative practice can relieve stress and anxiety and improve the quality of your sleep.

Time Management Means Service Management

One easy way to take care of your own time for essential tasks and give yourself enough space to work on your side hustle is to hire business services to do some of the tasks you don’t want to waste time on. Some tasks you can hire professionals to do in your stead are bookkeeping, virtual assistant activities, and content marketing. These services help give you time back in your day to devote to the other essential tasks of running a business, like innovating the latest solutions and managing your employees.

Another way you can take advantage of online services is to avoid hefty lawyer fees by using a formation service when it’s time to register your side hustle as a limited liability company (LLC). You’ll want to take advantage of the many benefits of forming an LLC (including pass-through taxes, personal asset protection, and flexibility). Make sure you look into the regulations surrounding your LLC registration because the rules differ based on your location. For example rules for the LLC registration in North Carolina can be found here.

Above All

The thing you need to remember when it comes to you, your business, and your well-being: It’s a holistic practice. You should pay attention to the parts in service to the whole. Taking time to meditate daily, use time management tactics where you can, and love yourself is essential for your success and fulfillment.

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