Managing a small business in isolation

 

How I spent 2021 as an introverted business woman


I’m an introvert and proud of it!

Having my wanderings cut back because of the pandemic in the past couple of years has both saved me money – less spending on fuel, which can be costly when you live in a rural or regional area, and also a saving on accommodation, food and random shopping – and it has also saved my sanity a little bit.

As an introvert I sometimes get overwhelmed at large gatherings and need time to decompress. These past months of cancelled conferences and curtailed activities has given me time to take a much-needed breath.

Since I started my business nearly 10 years ago, I have been on the go almost constantly. If I haven’t been travelling and attending courses to increase my skills and knowledge, I’ve been travelling to present workshops or consult with clients. Taking some of that action off the table has been wonderful for me – sorry everyone!

But I’m just about over it now and ready to re-enter the world.

Despite having some of my activities reined back, I spent a busy 2021 providing workshops both face to face and online, attended a number of great networking events and took much of my mentoring and coaching sessions online on Zoom, which gives me more flexibility with the location of my clients.

My husband, David, and I bought a small caravan, so we could travel with the Helpful Dog, so I had a wonderful end of year being chauffeured to various regional locations to talk about one of my favourite subjects – Networking – as a guest speaker to Women in Business Regional Network events. This was an amazing opportunity to meet many rural women who are forging ahead with their own businesses and using the networking for support and advice.

If you live in rural or regional South Australia and are keen to know more about the network, I’d highly recommend attending an event near you – go to their website: www.wibnetwork.com.au

I have been working on an online course which will help with our self care – so important in these current strange times.

Some of my top tips to help manage stress and anxiety right now include managing my time and making sure I have set aside some of it just for me.

I am a planner tragic - always seeking the next shiny object! And I have spent the past week working out the best combination of planning systems which will work for me this year.

 

I was gifted the Legend Planner which has monthly and quarterly goals and which I spent New Year’s Day setting up with Big Picture goals, dreams and vision. I have a 'Mindful Planner' to keep myself grounded and mentally healthy and will continue with my Bullet-style work planning book, plus Claire Mitchell's Awesome Marketing Planner for my marketing and business planning, as well as my A4 page-to-a-day diary which holds any necessary paperwork filed under the days when I will need it (ie blood test paperwork).

I'll also continue with my daily gratitude book and daily personal journal.

 

Looks like fun for me! I love journals, planners, diaries - and I'll also take my appointments and some of my critical tasks online to coordinate with my Google calendar!

 

If you’re not a mad journal keeper like me, then here are some of my top tips to help with your self care:

 

Refresh Your Focus:


o   Unplug completely every now and then and have a social media free day

o   Spend time in nature – take a walk, sit in a park, have a picnic

o   Take a nap – we’re never too young or too old for this

Location: Clare Valley, Clare SA 5453, Australia

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