On a recent walk I noticed that one of our local bakeries had closed down. There was a sign in the window saying that due to the passing of the owner, the shop was closed until further notice.

I had seen the owner a few times...he seemed to always be working and his physical condition looked awful. Unfortunately it was only a matter of time before something happened to him...and it did.

A few years ago one of my clients felt a tingling in his finger. Being a workaholic he didn't have time to pay too much attention to it. After all he had meetings booked all day and they were more important than a tingle in his finger. He was about to leave home, then collapsed. Luckily for him, there was another person in the house and they called the ambulance.

John had suffered a stroke. The warning signs were there all along. He smoked, was 30kg overweight, his diet was poor and exercise was spasmodic. He worked long hours and was under enormous pressure. Much of the pressure was caused by John's organisational skills. He was a poor delegator and had difficulty saying 'no'. Planning was something he did if he had the time (which meant he never did). Oh, and by the way, I forgot to mention he was also divorced!

Up until the time of his stroke, John had been making progress through being coached, however he wasn't making enough consistent effort, particularly around his health. He was a disaster waiting to happen and it did happen. John was 43.

Fortunately John survived, but what a way to have a 'wake up' call. He's definitely paying attention now and making himself the no. 1 priority in his life. He was off work for weeks.

After that event he seriously applied what he had learned through coaching. He had no choice. Either he got himself organised and changed his behaviours or he would have a short life. He did lose the weight , worked much less hours, planned for his personal life and met a partner in the process. He even got himself fit enough to successfully complete the Kokoda trail.

Running your own business can be very stressful. Most of us just can't switch off easily. We need even more self-care.

1. Learn how to get yourself organised so you make time for you. 'I'm too busy' or 'I don't have the time' is an excuse.
   
2. Find a holistic practitioner who offers a range of health tests and can provide proactive on-going treatment and advice. You can ask people you know who you know look after themselves and find out who they go to. You will require supplements because hardly anyone eats a 100% organic, fully balanced diet and lives in a non-toxic and stress free environment.
   
3. Avoid people and places that do not support what you are trying to achieve, i.e. there's a lady who attends my gym every day to stay in shape and keep her weight under control yet she works in a bakery!
   
4. Set restrictions about how much of your time you're prepared to work and stick to it. Do not take work home! Of if you work from home, set rules about when you will and won't work. Make sure it doesn't take over valuable family time.
   
5. Eat healthily, get enough sleep and exercise regularly. Respect your body and treat it as you would if you bought a brand new car. Buff and polish it, go for a long drive and fill the tank with quality fuel.

Being fit and healthy is not an option. Just because you are standing and breathing doesn't mean you are well.

Wellness is about being pro-active with your health and not waiting until you are sick or something happens to you. No matter how busy you are, you surely can't be too busy to die?

Now, if you're not sure what you need to do to avoid working yourself to death, then I urge you to take action and invest in a proven step-by-step system that will get you big results. Get a copy of The Productivity and Profit Home Study System". It includes everything you need to know to free up your time, master your marketing so you make much more money and get a life!

It's laid out in a very simple way: do step one of the system, and when you're done with that, move on to step two etc. It's so simple and yet so powerful, it's changed the lives of many solopreneurs and small business owners.

You can read the success stories and get your own copy at www.productivityqueen.com/profit.html (why be time poor and struggle in your business, when you can easily get much more done, make more money and have time off?

Got a comment about this article? Share your story with us at our Small Business Blog.

Lorraine Pirihi, The Productivity Queen is the creator of “The Productivity and Profit System” the complete one-on-one training program for solopreneurs and small businesses. She's a productivity expert, leading business coach, author and speaker with straight-shooter, no-fluff strategies that really work. Lorraine specialises in helping entrepreneurs to organise their time, master their marketing and stay on track with efficient systems so they make much more money and have a life!.

For your complimentary audio CD “How to Boost Your Productivity and Profits and Enjoy More Time Off” VALUED AT $47 for a limited time only. Go to www.productivityqueen.com