When was the last time you truly relaxed? Do you often find that another exhausting week ends and you glance at a book you bought six months ago and realise you simply haven't had the time to read it? If this sounds horribly familiar then it's likely that you are prioritising the demands in your business life and ultimately your personal life is missing out.

Self-care is a basic foundation for personal success planning. It is an idea that a lot of people, especially home based business owners struggle with, as it means putting yourself, rather than your clients, first. Very rarely do we prioritise our own fitness, nutrition and well being. If you look after yourself, everyone around you will benefit. Ultimately you will have more energy and focus for your own "big picture", be that your business or personal life or both.

When you choose to change your priorities, your clients may take time to adjust to your new approach. But explain what you are doing - tell than you will actually be providing a better service for them.

Don't understimate the power or rest and relaxation. It's often the first thing to be dropped off our "to do " list when the going gets tough. Ask yourself, week to week, how do you relax and unwind, both physically and mentally?

Find a few moments to think about what you are doing right now to take care of yourself. Suprisingly few of us are as kind to ourselves as we'd like to be. We're all caught up in the do-it-now trap, juggling life, errands, fitness, families and business. Start with the basic checklist. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating a balanced, healthy diet? Are you exercising regularly? Are you having fun? Are you taking time to rest and relax? Dont stop at just asking yourself these questions, put a plan in place today to make changes. For example, list the specific changes you are willing to make to improve your nutrition or fitness.

When planning your self-care, consider your body clock and natural rhythms. You probably already know if you are a night owl or an early bird - but do you take time out of you business schedule to keep your rhythms or are you scheduling these rhythms to suit other people? Think about when you like to exercise or when you get an energy dip that leaves you craving a nap.

Self-care is about taking the time to look after yourself in the longer term. This may mean a complete lifestyle change or it may mean improving on some of your regular habits. If you want to transform your life, you need to place yourself as top priority. No matter how busy your life is

Jo Walker is a successful Virtual Service Provider. Her business, thehomeoffice (http://www.thehomeoffice.net), creates Efficient, Effective, Online Solutions for SOHO businesses. She is also the Editor for The Virtual Summit, a montly newsletter produced for The Virtual Business Group (http://www.virtualbizgroup.com)