When I first became an entrepreneur, I worked myself to death. I wanted to be the one wearing all of the hats, doing all of the things, and running the show all on my own. I worked nights, and weekends, during soccer games and dance classes, at the dinner table, and even during bedtime routines. I believed the lie that if I wasn’t accessible 24/7, I would never be successful. It took me a long time to realize I was missing the most important thing to prioritize in business. 

 

Rest. 

 

If this is your first time hearing this, write this down:

 

“The amount of hours you work is not equal to the success you create.”

 

You can work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that still won’t be the thing that measures your success. 

 

It took me a long time to understand this. And while I can’t get back all those hours of constant work, I can take what I’ve learned over the years to help me set boundaries and encourage you to do the same. 

 

It’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to feel as if they have to spend 80 hours a week actively running their businesses. Somewhere along the lines, we’ve been taught to wake up before the sun and stay up long after it sets simply because we believe that the amount of hours we spend on our business is the most important thing we can do.

 

But what if I told you that you can find time for your business and everything else you love and enjoy? What if I told you it was possible to run a profitable business, care for your family, and still have time left over for yourself? Time to read a book or travel. Time to spend in nature or curl up with your favorite television series.

 

Time to rest. 

 

What if I told you that spending hours upon hours on your business is not what makes you profitable? That time does not equal money and that extra hours in the day will not get you anywhere? That if you aren’t making time for rest, you’ll never see the success you’re working so hard for.

 

The amount of time you spend on your business does not measure your level of success. You do not need to add another ten hours to your day to become profitable in your business. Simply busying yourself with an overwhelming workload is not the key to success. And it’s not the way to create the business you’ve been dreaming of. You do not have to work yourself silly to find success. 

So how do we do this?

 

It’s simple really. But you have to stay focused on this one thing.

 

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO PRIORITIZE IN BUSINESS:

 

Rest. 

 

But how can you rest and run a profitable business?

I’m so glad you asked.

 

Step #1: Time Blocking. 

This is a great way to feel like you’ve added hours to your day by becoming more productive. So what does that look like exactly? 

Break your day up into 20-minute chunks. When you first wake up, what will your first 20 minutes look like? Will you exercise? Take a shower? Eat breakfast? Answer emails? Whatever it is, schedule those 20 minutes and move on to the next. While 20 minutes may feel like a small amount of time, you’ll be so surprised how much you can accomplish if you schedule the task and stick to it. You may find that at the end of the day, you only gave your business three 20-minute time slots out of the nearly 50 twenty-minute chunks in a day, but that’s okay! That’s more than enough time to be useful and productive. Trust me. 

 

Step #2: Become an expert planner. 

 

The key to being successful with your time blocking is to start planning out your day ahead of time. Then you can prioritize items in order and work from the top of your list, down. 

 

When you have a lot of things on your plate, oftentimes the overwhelm of where to start is what stops you from even starting. Have you been there? I know I have more times than I want to admit. But when you know that you have 20 minutes to rive that task your all, you are focused and determined to get it done. When it is done, you not only feel good about yourself, but your business has benefited as well. It’s a simple concept that makes a huge impact on productivity and how you spend your time. 

 

Step #3: Create a schedule.

 

Scheduling also goes hand in hand with time blocking. If you don’t know what you need to be working on, spending 20 minutes on “something” is not productive. Don’t fall into that trap of thinking if you’re doing something you are being productive. If you aren’t doing things that make a difference in the outcome of your business you are wasting time. I realize that there are a lot of things that are important to running a business. But most of the time, you want to be working on things that make your business money, not just steal your peace. 

 

If you take the time to plan out and schedule your day into these “Take 20” chucks, you will be amazed at how productive you can become. What we need is not more time in our day, but more structure to start using the time we already have wisely. Give this method an honest try for just one week and I am certain you will experience an incredible shift in how you spend your time, ultimately freeing you up for more rest. 

 

For more tips on getting the most out of your work hours, check out my guide on turning your ideas into income! 

 

How you make time for rest will look different for every entrepreneur, but I hope these three simple steps have freed you up to believe you do have the time in your day to rest and that they help you feel equipped to make rest a reality! You do not need to work yourself to the bone to call yourself successful. Trust in that truth and get out there today, making time for rest! 

 

If you’re new to the entrepreneurial game and rest isn’t yet on your agenda,  I’m sharing all of my best tips and tricks for starting a business in my idea-to-action guide! Check it out today and get started on your entrepreneurial journey once and for all! And while you’re planning to take action, don’t forget that the most important thing to prioritize in business is REST!