The Scheduling Secrets of Successful Business Owners

As a business owner, much of the work falls on your shoulders. From employee supervision to navigating the customer experience, you’re doing a lot for other people every day. It can become hard to keep sight of your goals, dreams, and the passion with which you began this project. You might view other business owners with envy, wondering how they can look so calm and carefree while being responsible for so much. Here’s their secret: they schedule meetings with themselves.

caucasian woman in tank top and yoga capris sitting in a meditation position with hands on knees.
Start the day meditating on your goals and how you will accomplish them.

Making your goals a priority

It might sound ridiculous, but when is the last time you took a few minutes to organize your day, refocus on your vision, and strategize for success? When you set aside 15 minutes for this, you set the expectation that you and your business are the priority. During these meetings there are no client calls, no employee time, and no busy work: just a time for you to focus on your “why”.

Start off on the right foot

You can start the day with a mindfulness meditation during which you focus on your goals. This doesn’t have to take long, just 5 minutes or so. Try to picture your life exactly as you want it. If there were no barriers imposed by time or finances, what would you do differently? When you view your future goals with optimism, you may find that the next steps become more clear. 

Write It Down

Planner opened on the 29th day with a black pen laying on the page.
Write down your goals and reflect on them at the end of the day, and the steps you have taken to get closer to them.

After a mindfulness meditation, take the next few minutes to write down your goals for the day. These can be concrete, such as “finish x-amount of orders” or more vague, like “relax more today”. Whatever your goals are, writing them down reinforces muscle memory and can serve as a reminder to focus on those things.

Revisit Your Reasons

Finally, in the last few minutes of your meeting, revisit your “why”: think about what brought you down this path in life, and why you’ve chosen to run your own business. Keeping this thought in the forefront of your mind alongside that little bit of positivity born from your mindfulness meditation can help you feel more relaxed and in control.

By setting aside an uninterrupted 15 minutes for yourself, you are committing to your goals for the day and prioritizing your success. Make this schedule habit a part of your daily routine and you might just find relaxation, positivity, and success spreading to all parts of your day.

Meditation, Why It’s a Good Idea?

People talk about meditation benefits all the time. We see it in the news, on our feeds, and from journals of alternative medicine, but where do they get these ideas from?

 We live in a time where stress, anxiety, depression, and a ridiculous amount of information comes pouring at us from all sides. Our brains, or “monkey minds” as some industry experts call them, are put under more stress than ever. Why is meditation a good idea? Because it’s giving both mental and physical faculties a break. How does that work though, and what are the results? This is the time we need meditation benefits the most.

Lower Stress

person meditating in a wheat field
This can happen wherever you feel safe. If you need to take a moment for self-care, you should.

Studies conducted show meditation both reduces stress and helps us cope with it. These are all types of meditation from transcendental meditation to mindfulness-based or MBSR. Stress is terrible for your body. If you don’t meditate and take care of it, stress can lead to dangers like:

  • Early aging
  • Muscle tension
  • A compromised immune system 
  • High blood pressure

People who practiced even guided meditation see an overall positive change in their lives, simply because their stress is being actively managed. If you practice, the meditation benefits will come.

monk meditating underneath a lamp
People have been using this tool for thousands of years. Time to jump on board.

Self-Awareness

This is a less popular meditation benefit. We’re taught about stress and mental disorders, but not usually about self-image. If you think about yourself, it leads to selfishness, or so we think. However, we need self-care now more than ever. A healthy sense of self leads to feelings of confidence and a sense of trust. Self-reliance is a key trait needed to operate well in the world. With a meditative practice like tai chi or yoga, you can build this skill. 

Emotional Stability

Studies showed that anxiety plagues about one-fifth of the U.S. population. It’s the most common mental disorder, and one treatment is meditation. The practice teaches you to push your worries and concerns aside by living in the present moment. With focused attention, you learn to recognize which thoughts are helpful and which are not. Sound like a great meditation benefit? More likely than not, the worries and concerns we have are overblown. 

A Physically Fit Brain

Your brain will thank you because a regular practice will reap additional health benefits such as:

  • More Blood– the practice increases blood flow to key areas. Blood is what keeps your brain going.
  • Thicker Matter– You want a thick brain. With this physiological change, you’ll see an increase in memory and attention span.
  • Less Cortisol –  The stress chemical continues to sit in your brain. If you don’t rid yourself of it, it can cause feelings of anxiety for no apparent reason
  • More Serotonin -Serotonin is an important chemical relating to healthy mood, sexual desire, and others to keep balanced behavior.

While meditation won’t heal your existing medical conditions, it does provide alternative and complementary boosts to your wellness. I don’t think anyone would turn down the meditation benefits associated with a well-rounded life. It’s easy to start too. Just put yourself in a comfortable seat, close your eyes, and narrow your focus to just your breathing. Doing this for 15-20 minutes per day, with any form of meditation, will provide you with these advantages.

Person meditating near a tree with flowers
Picture yourself with a clearer mind, healthier physiology, and a better outlook on life.