I wrote a piece for Fast Company that was published Friday, and I’d love for you to read it:
Typical self-care practices don’t work for startup founders. Here’s one thing that does.
The upshot:
How can entrepreneurs feel good while building their startups? Self-care recommendations have proliferated across both traditional and social media over the past few months, with bread-baking and bath-taking all over our Instagram feeds. But I’ve found, both personally and in my work with entrepreneurs, that on their own, traditional self-care activities don’t move the needle.
Taking a bath doesn’t mean you stop beating yourself up for your startup’s stalled growth. One-off self-care practices can help reduce stress in the moment, but to maintain an even keel over the long haul, entrepreneurs need to put themselves first in a regular way, day after day. What helped me gain back my health and what I now help entrepreneurs learn is self-awareness: a daily understanding of what’s going on in their bodies and minds.
Would love to hear your experiences with this! Send me a note.
And, if you know founders and senior team members of startups, please share Rational Confidence with them. We are building a high level community of entrepreneurs wanting to shift entrepreneurial culture away from the broey, 24/7, hustle-till-you-drop paradigm of the past to something more sustainable and successful. The first two months are free, so there is no obstacle to checking it out. And as the community grows, we'll add peer groups, 1-1 office hours with sought-after coaches, and research-backed self-awareness courses.
Happy wild and fascinating Monday, all!
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Excellent article! I would agree that for entrepreneurs to maintain a high level of performance, daily self-care is important. I was attracted to the hustle-till-you-drop paradigm but it wasn't a healthy way to live.