5 Ways to Stay Aligned in Your Business Without Sacrificing Ease
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart.
But you already know that, don’t you?
I’m not going to lie to you and pretend that working for yourself is a simple or straightforward road. It’s not. It’s hard and scary and unpredictable. It requires immense courage and resilience to carve your own path.
Finding ease in entrepreneurship takes a LOT of trial, and a LOT of error.
As hard as it can be to work for yourself—it can also be the best job in the world. It can open your life to opportunities and freedoms that otherwise may not be possible for you.
To thrive as an entrepreneur, you have to learn how to work for yourself without burning out. You have to learn how to balance grit and determination with flow and grace. Regardless of where you are on your entrepreneurial journey—you’ve experienced first-hand how difficult it can be to land in that sweet spot between hard work and freedom.
But it’s not impossible.
So what’s the secret to working for yourself and actually enjoying it?
Alignment.
An aligned business works for you and with you.
An aligned business stands on your values.
An aligned business flows with your priorities.
An aligned business allows you to focus on what you do best.
An aligned business reflects your authenticity.
You can thrive as an entrepreneur without sacrificing ease.
Most people give up before they ever really start. Or they dive in and end up burning out before their business grows to a place where it’s nourishing. They quit working for themselves before they find their groove. But the ones who don’t give up? The ones who keep going until they find their own version of ease in entrepreneurship? Well, they never go back.
You can have a fulfilling business and the freedom to enjoy your life.
But you have to be willing to look at yourself and your business. You’ll have to make changes in order to get in alignment.
To thrive and find ease—you’ll need to be:
open to delegating and letting go
willing to experiment and fail
open to reframing your concept of success
willing to say no and prioritize yourself
open to making decisions that don’t make sense to other people
Ease in entrepreneurship possible. It takes work and intention—but on the other side is beautiful aligned life.
A life where your business doesn’t prevent you from living.
5 Ways to Find Alignment and Ease in Your Business
1. Reframe Your Own Version of Entrepreneurial Success
If you grew up like me—success was probably measured by achievement and wealth, power and influence. It was something you achieved only when you made a certain amount of money, or bought a certain house, or got a certain promotion. Success to reach for, something to carefully plan for, something to strategically work towards.
But have you ever stopped to ask yourself if this version of success is actually aligned with your authentic nature?
Is all the money in the world worth working 80 hour weeks? Is it worth being chronically stressed? Is it worth giving up your physical and mental health? Is it worth having a life so busy and buzzing and full that you don’t actually have the time or freedom to stop and enjoy your abundance?
I hope you’ll give yourself permission to explore the possibility that your authentic version of success might look different from the version you were told to believe in. That success might be about more than the money and accolades.
For me—true success is an embodied sense of peace.
Isn’t a goal or a finish line. It’s a way of living. It’s building a business that allows me to live my life in a way that fills me with joy. It’s embracing the business practices that fill me with creative energy, and letting go of the ones that drain me.
It’s working in a way that aligns with my dreams and my values.
I use this definition of success as a guide in my business. A thread that keeps me grounded in what matters and what lights me up.
For me success is not measured by wealth or achievement. I am successful when I grow as a person. I am successful when I show up in service. I am successful when I end the day with a feeling of contentment. I am successful when honor my needs. I am successful when I show up in my truth.
2. Building Systems for Entrepreneurial Flow
If you want to build an aligned business without sacrificing ease, you need to prioritize the systems and practices that support you in your flow. This means finding tools that help simplify and streamline your day to day.
Here’s a few favorite practices I use to help keep me in flow and avoid burning out.
Honor Your Time with Clear Boundaries
Boundaries can be especially hard for entrepreneurs. You are your business. You are your brand. It can be hard to know when to stop working. But remember when you chose this path…you wanted freedom.
So my advice is this: figure out when you do your best work, and then plan your day and tasks around that.
Personally, I am my most clear-headed, creative self in the early hours of the day. I’ve learned to embrace this and always block out the first half of my work day for creative projects. That way I can approach them with my full energy and attention. Later in the afternoon, when I don’t feel as focused or full energy—I’ll deal with the more mundane administrative side of my business. I always try to call it a day when I start to feel drained.
Remember: a few hours of focused, intentional work will be much more valuable and productive than a full day of half-hearted effort.
Prioritize Your Workflow with Project Management Tools
When it's a one-person-show, you end up juggling a lot of tasks. It can be hard to know what to prioritize, and remember what needs to get done and when everything needs to be delivered. Do yourself a favor, and don't try to keep track of everything in your head. Find a system to keep yourself organized and stick with it.
Personally, I love Notion. It acts as a hub for my entire business. It holds my ideas, my tasks, my plans, my projects—all in the same place. It’s simple, effective, and aesthetic. There are tons of free (and paid) templates to help you make a custom system for your specific business and brand needs.
Here’s a few ways I use Notion to help me keep from going completely insane:
content planning calendar: helps me to brainstorm ideas, write drafts, and schedule all the content I post across various platforms
project manager: a hub for every client project, includes call notes, outlines, drafts, and deliverables
tasks lists: a ranked to-do of everything (business and personal) in my life
client hubs: a shared platform for me and my clients, allowing us to brainstorm together and seamlessly communicate throughout the process of their project
Delegate Tasks to Stay in Your Zone of Genius
Let’s face it. We’re not all good at everything. If you’ve been trying to do it all, you might need to consider letting some things go in order to create ease and flow in your business. Outsourcing is the greatest gift you can give yourself. It allows you to stay in your own zone of genius.
When you let someone else take care of a task that drains or overwhelms you, you’re able to focus more on what you do best. You’re giving yourself back precious time and your energy. Hiring a freelancer is more accessible and easy than ever before. There are thousands of incredibly talented people out there who would love the chance to tackle the task you’re grappling with.
So if you’re not good at it? Outsource it.
We all have aspects of our business that we don’t enjoy. It’s normal, and it’s totally okay to delegate.
Bad with numbers? Hire an accountant.
Sick of social media? Hire a content manager.
Not artistically inclined? Hire a graphic designer.
Overwhelmed by your schedule or inbox? Hire a virtual assistant.
Struggle with writing? Let me do it for you.
My monthly copywriting membership is the ultimate tool for ease in entrepreneurship. The best news? My books are open and I’m currently accepting new clients! If you’re sick of doing all the writing for your business—let me help. I’ll embody your voice and values and send you a monthly package of deliverables, ready to be posted.
Learn more about my services and memberships here.
3. Cultivate Entrepreneurial Clarity with Intentional Decision-Making
You have a lot of decisions to make as an entrepreneur. It can get overwhelming, and it’s easy to freeze up and not know what direction to take.
My biggest tool for gaining clarity when I’m feeling stuck is giving myself space. Taking a moment of pause. Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed by a decision I need to make for my business, I take it as a sign that I need to slow down. Sometimes what I need is fresh air, and sometimes it’s just some time away.
How I create space when I’m struggling to make a decision:
a long walk in the neighborhood to help me process my thoughts
taking my bike out on the trails to get out of my head
journaling to help me work through what I’m feeling
painting or crocheting to tap into my creativity
4. Let Go to Grow—Release What Isn’t Working to Find Alignment
Discernment is key to building sustainable and aligned business practices. Not every project or client will be a great fit for you, that’s okay. It’s difficult—especially when you’re starting out, to say no. But I promise that the sooner you learn to decline opportunities that don’t feel right…the sooner the right opportunities will find you.
When you reject an opportunity that isn’t right for you—you open the door up for someone else who is a better fit.
This simple reframe has really helped me learn how to trust my intuition and say no to the projects and opportunities that don’t feel right for me. I’ve found that when I reject something because it’s out of alignment, something within alignment often shows up shortly after.
Letting go can be scary, but it is crucial for helping you sustain your energy and creativity. When you say yes to something that you don’t want to do…it’s taking you away from the projects that are really calling you. Again, this can be harder in the beginning (trust me—I know.) But if you have the freedom to let it go, let it go.
5. Make Room for Joy in Your Entrepreneurial Journey
This one is simple—but joy is absolutely key to finding ease in authentic entrepreneurship. I know you have a lot on your plate. I know you’re juggling a million things at once. But please—don’t forget why I started in the first place. Remember and prioritize the work that truly lights you up.
You might not have the resources to outsource all the aspects of your business that don’t light you up. But don’t let that bring you down! Don’t let technicalities and admin tasks prevent you from enjoying what you do best. Remember, you’re your own boss. You get to decide what work needs to get done and when. Spend as much time as possible doing the work that makes you happy. The work that doesn’t feel like work.
Structure is important in entrepreneurship, but so is flexibility. If you only planned to spend an hour on a project—but you’re feeling inspired and enjoying the work—just embrace it.
Follow your joy.
You create your best work when you’re following your joy. Your taxes can wait.
Embrace Alignment and Discover Ease
Working for yourself is hard work—but it doesn’t have to be such a burden. Remember why you started. Remember what you’re really looking for.
What does ease in entrepreneurship look like for you?
For me, it’s taking an hour break in the middle of my day to walk around my neighborhood or dance around my kitchen. It’s finding a way to balance the mundane with the inspiring. It’s chasing everything that lights me up and letting go of everything I have to force. It’s trusting myself, and my intuition. It’s building a business that is aligned to my own unique version of success and happiness.
Alignment looks different for everyone. That’s the beauty of it. You get to decide what works and feels best for you—and then build your business around it.