Self-management is an essential life skill for any entrepreneur. It helps in shaping you as a person not only in your entrepreneurial journey but also in your personal life. After all, being content and efficient with everything you do is the ultimate goal.
This article is part 1 of 4 in our series on Self-Management. It is based on the AMA session we had with Coach Cheenu G Srinivasan as part of the NICE Arohana 1 workshop series. Cheenu is a certified Leadership, Executive and, HappYness Coach with over 15,000 hours of coaching experience. He believes that everyone in the world should attain both happiness and success in whatever they pursue.
Cheenu is a NICE Friend and is part of the NICE community.
- Part 1 – What is Self-Management and How Can You Improve it
- Part 2 – What Does it Take to Embrace the Idea of Self-Management
- Part 3 – Self-Management Challenges – How to Stay Focused
- Part 4 – Self-Care is Critical for Self-Management
Self-Management: What It’s About
Differentiating between persona and the person
Your actual personality is often different from what others perceive of you. Draw a line between what you think people think about you and what really shapes you as a person.
Be honest and authentic to yourself about the choices you make and base your actions on them.
This quote accurately represents how we perceive ourselves.
Debunking it every step of the way will help us reflect on our choices better and form a solid personality of ourselves.
Appreciating feedback
Criticism is a key factor involved in growth. We need to learn how to take it in a mature way and rectify our actions accordingly.
Our mind sometimes creates a facade and we become delusional about who we are as a person. Be truthful to yourself and be open to criticism.
Being optimistic during tough times
The last two years have been surreal and harsh on most people. Overcoming emotional and financial hurdles during this period has inevitably left us exhausted and dispirited. However, it is during difficult times like these that we must stay optimistic and positive about the experience.
It is imperative to look at the bright side even in the toughest of situations.
Being organized
One of the most vital skills is to remain organized. Organizing your daily schedule and tasks allows you to concentrate on what needs to get done that day instead of being distracted by things around you.
Getting rest
Here are a few ways you can inculcate it in your day-to-today life.
- A good night’s sleep: It’s not just about the time but also the type of sleep you experience every day. An ideal 7 hours goes a long way in helping the biochemical environment of your brain to flush out toxins. An ideal sleep type would lie well in between a sedated one and a disturbed one. Taking medication to go into sedation for this amount of time will not achieve your goal.
Your sleep must be self-induced and peaceful in order to make you feel energetic, uplifted, and ready for the day to come. “Sleep on it” is a phrase that is not just said but is also needed to be put into effect. Sleeping over a disputed problem/issue always ensures you wake up with a path to the solution.
- Meditation is not a fad! Meditation is your friend, especially on stressful days. It helps calm your nerves and put things in a different light.
Meditate for 30 mins on a regular day and for an hour on a stressful day. Yes! That is how vital a role it plays in helping you relax.
So spread that yoga mat and get going.
- Releasing excessive stress: There are a lot of exercises that can help with relieving stress; focusing on your breath plays a key role in most of them. Don’t breathe deeply but rather focus on your breath slowly and patiently.
- Inhale until the count of five and exhale for another five to seven counts to finish one breathing cycle.
- Doing this with 100% awareness of your breath for a few cycles will automatically help reduce your stress levels.
Anger is yet another enemy when dealing with self-management. We cannot be inspiring or helpful when upset. Try this whenever you want to cool yourself down:
- Roll your eyes upwards for a straight 10 seconds – this technique will calm your fight-or-flight modes and help you relax.
This exercise diverts all your mental engagement to your visual senses rather than your emotional senses, thus breaking you out of a nerve-racking emotion.
- Taking full responsibility: We often find ourselves in difficult situations and get worked up trying to resolve them. During times like these, we need to step in fully and assess what it is that we can do to make things better.
For instance, in the case of a professor teaching a course, if a student in his class fails to understand what is being taught, the former must take the onus and modify his teaching for the latter.
Focus on your end of the problem and constantly try to work towards it to solve problems better.
- Engaging in social interactions: As much as you want to curl up in a corner after a bad day, it’s far more effective to come out and speak to the people around you. Being social, especially during times when you feel otherwise truly helps you feel light-minded.
Engaging with like-minded people is worthwhile, helping you out of a slump sooner.
In Summary
Remove the facade of what others perceive you are. Take criticism in a constructive way to shape your actions in a better manner. Maintain good organizational skills. Be open to change. Take full responsibility for your actions. Be punctual. Maintain a routine. Be content with yourself, especially on the days when you have given your best.
Watch the full session here.
Continue reading Part 2 – What Does it Take to Embrace the Idea of Self-Management
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