As you may already know, I’m full sprint into the launch of OBSESSED.
If you run a business, and if you’ve ever launched a product, service, workshop, class or program, I know you can relate to what I’m about to describe.
In the past?
Here’s how “Melissa During A Business Launch” would move through the day:
7am. Wake up and anxiously check my inbox. Any new registrations / product sales??? GAHHHH! My self-worth depends on THIS and THIS ALONE!
8am. Lily starts begging for a walk. Begrudgingly take her outside for just long enough to pee, resenting every moment. Mom has witty things to say on Twitter, dammit!
9am. Call my trainer to say, “Sorry, I can’t make it to my session. I’m like, sooooo busy.”
12pm. Time for a healthy lunch? Nope. Bag of BBQ potato chips will do just fine.
4pm. I should probably take a shower, but whatever. I’m launching!!! What if a potential customer emails me a question? I need to be able to answer it within MINUTES… or the sale will be LOST!!!
6pm. New text message. My neighbor is wondering if I’d like to take an evening walk with her, outside. Apparently the sunset is magnificent. Clearly she is high on crack because helloooooo? I’m in launch mode!!!
7pm. Husband, seriously, stop pestering me with all of your “needs” and “wants.” Can’t you see that I have Very Important Internet Things to do??! Snuggle with YOURSELF. I’ll see you in bed… later… with my laptop.
Annnd so on.
Kinda pathetic, right?
This time around? None of that riff-raff.
Instead of obsessively checking my inbox or orders + questions + Facebook likes + all that noise, I’m getting obsessed with something else.
This time? I’m OBSESSED with self-care.
I get a lot of questions about what my life looks like, behind the scenes, and I’m totally happy to share how I roll, these days.
I want to help you build a profitable business with a fan base of customers who looooove you, WITHOUT burning yourself out, neglecting your friends and family, or behaving like an Internet crack ho.
(This is a topic that we dig into during my new yearlong program, OBSESSED. Because so many of us are wildly out-of-balance… and we really need to talk about it.)
Here’s a breakdown of what my self-care launch plan looks like.
This plan gives me plenty of energy and creativity to drive me through launching OBSESSED, while keeping the whole process totally pleasurable.
MINDSET
Feeling like “OMG I’m freaking out how the heck am I going to get this done everrrrr??!!!” – followed by a face-plant? Yup, that was me.
Until I shifted my mindset: I’m not “launching.” I’m SERVING.
I’ve created something with my whole heart + soul. A “launch” is nothing more than a really juicy, page-turning love letter to my community.
FITNESS
Let me start this off by saying that I have NEVER been a “fit” or “athletic” person. I never played sports. I didn’t start really exercising until my late 20s. I didn’t even know how to ride a bike until I was 30.
So if you’re thinking “This must be easy for her — she’s super fit!” … uh, no.
Currently, I work with a personal trainer (who challenges and humbles me) and sweat through bootcamp-style group classes, 5 days per week.
The only way to stick with a new habit — whether it’s exercising, cooking or creating new content for your business — is to make it enjoyable for you. If it’s not fun, you’re not gonna do it for long.
I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. The extra energy that I get from my workouts pours into everything I do.
How do I “make time” for fitness?
I schedule all of my workouts into my calendar for the ENTIRE month, and I honor those appointments with the same intensity that I honor a phone-date with a client. This attitude keeps me devoted, keeps me fit, and keeps me sane.
EATING
I really, really like cooking. Cookbooks are like my porn.
But when things get busy?
I have been known to use evvvvvvery excuse in the book not to get in my kitchen.
So, during launch time, I know I have to do some advance planning + prepwork. For me, it’s all about finding recipes that are easy to make but still super healthy.
Let me preface this by saying, if I don’t prep on the weekend, this sh*t does NOT happen. I’ll be hitting the drive-through. So, on Saturday or Sunday, I’ll go grocery shopping, roast a big tray of veggies, make soup, make a few cups of quinoa, chop veggies for salads and get my foodie-world in order for the week to come.
Here’s my “launch-time” eating plan:
Breakfast: Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie — one frozen banana, one tablespoon of almond butter, one scoop of vegan chocolate protein powder, and some water, blended. Plus a cup of Yogi Energy Black and Mint tea.
Lunch: Big-ass salad with whatever I’ve got in the fridge. Right now it’s Spinach, Kale, Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Cabbage, Quinoa, Edamame, Sunflower Seeds and Hummus (I use the Hummus like a creamy-dreamy dressing. Mmmm.)
Snack: The Best Chocolate Protein Bars Ever (no joke)
Dinner: I live in California and LOVE grilling, so I usually toss some kind of fish and vegetable on the grill (salmon, sweet potatoes and asparagus are a fav combination for me.)
Stuff I don’t eat: My belly doesn’t love dairy or red meat, so I avoid that stuff “most” of the time… but I’m not super-rigid about anything. On a recent trip to Sweden, I totally got down with a Viking-sized cheese platter. Because, how often am I gonna be in Stockholm… right?
I don’t eat a TON of sugary stuff, but if something is super high quality and amazing then I’m all about it.
I try to make sweets a “special treat” (like, I have to walk, bike or drive to get it) rather than something I keep in the house all the time. This, like everything else, isn’t a rigid rule. Just a mostly-kinda guideline.
I try to eat mostly plant-based foods because they give me tons of energy so that I’m not falling asleep on top of my desk at 3pm in the afternoon (not great for business + productivity).
I also try not drink coffee because I’m going through my annual “I can’t handle coffee because it’s such an addiction for me!” phase. I had a cup today.
Everything in moderation. 🙂
GUILTY PLEASURES
Whenever I feel overwhelmed and stressed out during launch-time, I immediately take a Guilty Pleasure Break.
This may seem meaningless and counter-productive, but it actually revitalizes me and clears out my brain… every time.
Here are some of my all-time favorite Guilty Pleasure Breaks, for when I know I’m reaching that burnout zone:
:: Read my latest book for 30 minutes (or sometimes, the whole day… whoops!)
:: Get lost in a smutty Hollywood entertainment site.
:: Prowl YouTube searching for fan-made trailers of my favorite TV shows (or, um, sex scenes from favorite shows. Nothing wrong with skipping ahead to the good part! 🙂
:: Stare at images on Instagram from designers + creative directors and fantasize about having an office that looks like it stepped out of a Kate Spade catalogue.
:: Or… text a girlfriend an adorable photo of my dog, Lily… or take her for a bonus walk! (She never complains.)
LOVE
The busier I am, the easier it is to neglect my family.
In the past, launch-time was spent snarling at my hubby saying things like, “What do you mean you want me to go to the park with you and the dogs — I have to register a client!!!!!”
This time around, I’m not being Mean Melissa. I made sure to communicate clearly with my husband, letting him know which part of the day is “launch time” — and which part of the day is “love time.”
By bringing him onboard and explaining how I’m planning to roll, he feels included in the process — instead of excluded — and he’s cheering me on, instead of feeling neglected.
Occasionally, when things feel really jam-packed, I just shut my laptop and go lie in bed with him. Before? I would have been appalled at this kind of “laziness.” Now? I know that gettin’ some hubbie affection gives me the energy + love I need to power through a business launch… with pleasure.
So… that’s how I roll!