Avoiding Burnout – Rest & Recovery as a Business Strategy

This month I’m creating space for rest after an intensely busy period.  This is how I make my business sustainable, by not pushing forward all the time, and instead honouring my natural rhythms and having periods where I do a lot less.

So today I’m talking about why I regularly create space in my schedule for rest, what I do focus on during that slower period, and the energy that I’ll be bringing to my work – that is the very opposite of a “pushing” energy!

Watch the video below or scroll down to read the blog:

Why I’m creating space in my business this month

If you receive my emails you’ll know that for past two months I’ve been through one of the busiest periods in my business in a long while. You’ll know that because your inbox will have been busy too!

It’s been pretty full-on and I’ve been feeling the effects of such a busy period. Even this video was scheduled record a few days ago – but just couldn’t find the energy!

And this is why I’m now creating myself a more spacious June.  To allow myself time to rest and recover after a busy period I’m having a more spacious month where I work at a slower pace and take more time for other things that are important outside of work.

Having grown my business alongside a health condition, I learned a long time ago that how I pace myself is just as important as what I put out into the world. Building in recovery after busy periods is part of how I stay in service to my clients by keeping myself rested and focused to be able to do my best work.

Here are the 5 key reasons why I’m creating space in June:

1. To recover from a busy work period

I’ve just recently finished the launch of my Get More Clients Saying Yes! course which took a full two months for my small team to plan and execute. Alongside it, I attended a mastermind in Portugal ran four guest masterclasses, ran a stand for 2 days at a conference, spoke at a business event in London, and worked with three partners to promote the launch. It’s been amazingly rewarding, but it’s also taken a LOT of energy!

2. My Human Design

I’m a Projector in Human Design, and a 6/2 (Role model/Hermit). This means I’m not designed to be “on” all the time. For me to stay in my brilliance and do my best work I need regular space to retreat from the world and recharge.

3. My Astrology

My astrology also highlights this coming 5 week period as a key time for rest and recovery and to work on behind the scenes projects so that I’m ready to move forward again with full energy when the planets shift towards taking action from mid July.

4. Health & Healing

After 18 years living with chronic health issues, I finally received a clear diagnosis and have been having treatment since January, so 4 months ago. It’s going well, but it requires rest, and the more I can rest, the more I can heal. I was great at honouring that at first, but the past two months I haven’t been taking quite such good care of myself. So from today, I’m making healing a core priority again.

5. Rest is not a luxury for me

Rest isn’t a treat for me, or a “nice to have”. It’s actually a necessity. I’ve learned (the hard way – many times!) that I can’t keep going at the pace of the last 2 months without eventually paying the price. And I am no longer willing to engage in the sort of “boom and bust” burnout cycle I used to run.

This is how I make my business sustainable. By not pushing forward all the time, and instead honouring my natural rhythms and having periods where I do a lot less

Here’s what I WILL be focusing on during June:

1. Delivery of the GMCSY course

This month, my top priority is looking after the participants of the Get More Clients Saying Yes course. I’ll be supporting them through the Q&A calls and inside the Facebook group to help them build confidence, lay the foundations of a sustainable business and enrol new paying clients. I’ll also be supporting members of my Business from the Heart Membership and my private clients. It’s important to me to deliver what I promises I’ve made to those clients – I’m not one of those people who runs a big launch then disappears for 2 weeks as soon as the course starts, I’m sure I’m not alone in having experience that! Instead, delivery of this course is my primary focus for the next 5 weeks.

In my membership we talk about having a “One Thing” focus each month, so for June my overarching One Thing is course delivery.

2. Rest and Recovery

Then to support me with rest and recovery while I deliver the course, I’ll be building in one or two of what I call “Easy @eeks.” These are weeks where I meet my core commitments but I try not to do anything else. It’s not a holiday, but it is a more spacious rhythm. Sometimes I go abroad or to a health spa to do this, or travel in my campervan – but this month, I’m mostly staying at home.

3. Health & Healing

I’ll be consciously building in space to support my treatment, and giving myself permission to rest – properly.

4. Behind-the-Scenes Work

I’ll also be catching up on lingering projects, and tidying things up behind the scenes.  Because I have no strict deadlines this month, I’ll mostly be be doing this with an energy that I call “plodding” rather than urgency or pushing. It’s a lovely energy to come from at times, it gives work a very different quality – but means I still get things done even while I have the feeling that I’m taking things more easy.

5. Time for Reflection

I’ll also be taking time to reflect on what’s working, and what’s not in my business – so I can reset my focus and strategy for the rest of the year.

So that’s why I’m creating space for the next 5 weeks

• To recover from a high-output season
• To honour my health, energy and natural design
• So I can be at my best to serve my clients
• And to recalibrate my business for what’s next

This is how I stay in love with my business – and keep it sustainable for the long term.

Because not only is it not possible to be fully “ON” all the time, it actually doesn’t serve you, or your clients or your business.

Create a Business you can Fall in Love With:

If you’d like to learn some of the key principles I teach to help you create a genuinely sustainable business you can love for the long term, sign up for my Create a Business you Love Guide  https://catherinewatkin.com/freeguide/ 

OR watch it as a WORKSHOP here:
https://catherinewatkin.com/business-you-love-workshop/

And to learn more about Human Design or Astrology check out 2 of my favourite guides here:
Human Design:  Shari Thompson:   https://thehdbiz.com/
Astrology:  Samantha Selby:  https://samanthaselby.com/