One Policy. Zero Panic.
- Built on YES
- Sep 7
- 2 min read
A Mindfulness-in-Minutes blueprint to make sure your AIC (*ss Is Covered)
Burnout rarely arrives as a blaze…it drips in through tiny boundary breaks.
For female founders and small-team entrepreneurs, one clear, no-exception policy is both business system and self-care: it stops scope creep, unpaid work, late-night fire drills, and “just this once” chaos before they start. When you embed AIC guardrails across contracts/proposals, client onboarding, SOPs, and tool permissions, you trade stress for focus and protect your most valuable assets: time, cash, and calm. This Mindfulness-in-Minutes blueprint turns policies and procedures into a daily mindfulness practice, so your business (and nervous system) can actually breathe.
AIC = guardrails. Put yours inside:
Contracts/proposals
Onboarding emails/forms
SOP checklists & PM templates
Tool permissions/security
The One-Policy Audit
Pick a hotspot: Sales → Onboarding → Delivery → Data → Payments.
Name the risk: “We risk ___ if we start without ___.”
Write the line: “Must ___, no exceptions. If not, ___ (hold/reschedule/deny access).”
Embed & enforce in all touchpoints.
Examples
Sales: Must have signed MSA + first payment, no exceptions. If not, project moves to next start date.
Data: Must use least-privilege + 2FA, no exceptions. If not, access revoked in 24 hours.
E-comm: Must pass fraud check + valid address, no exceptions. If not, order on hold until verified.
Mindfulness that makes policies stick
The AIC Check
CCC Questions:
Capacity: Do I have time/focus today?
Clarity: Do I have assets/info/decision-maker?
Consent: Does this serve today’s top outcome?
Decide: Honor the policy or schedule a compliant path.
Boundary Micro-Scripts (You can totally copy/paste these…)
Payment first: “To keep timelines reliable, we begin once the invoice + MSA are complete. I’ve re-sent both. Ping me when you're done, and I’ll lock your start.”
Access gap: “For security, we only grant access with 2FA enabled. Once that’s on, I’ll add you within 24 hours.”
Scope creep: “Happy to add this; per policy we’ll quote & approve add-ons before starting.”
Create a 5-Minute Weekly Debrief:
Setup: Did I overbook?
Permissions: Did I give access/ask for assets too late?
AIC Safe: Which doc/contract saved me (or was missing)?
Alternatives: Do I have a canned “If not, then ___” next step?
Honesty: One near-miss I’ll turn into a policy line today.
Write one sentence: “Next week, I will not break ____ policy.” Sign it.
A lil’ Personal Boundary Prompt:
Where did my body say no this week and I ignored it?
What boundary kept me calm?
What’s the tiniest no-exception that would’ve prevented chaos?
Final Thoughts
Being Built on YES means saying yes to systems and boundaries that keep you courageous, capable, and strong, and no to anything that risks your time, cash, or calm.
If you want to see this in action with a more personal story, check out Erin’s Substack: The One Policy That Changed Everything.
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