Waking up each morning knowing you have to put in time at the business, regardless the day, eventually wears you thin. There’s never an “off” mode. You’ll always have a feeling you should be doing something with it otherwise you’re simply wasting time.
This really starts to get at you.
You can put in a solid 12 hours working on your business but it never feels like enough. You want to kick back and relax. It’s hard justifying watching some T.V. when you could be working on your projects.
You might be able to keep up this heavy work routine for the first year because everything is fresh and exciting but once you’ve hit a point where it feels like a job you’ll quickly find out how stressful it can be.
You’ve got to make time to de-stress.
I want to share five of the better ways I’ve found that helps with dealing with and eliminating stress caused from running a business. To each their own but I can bet that at least one of these will help.
1. Mini-Sabbaticals
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
The temptation will be there to work on your business at all hours of the day. Playing into this temptation will definitely get a lot of work done but it’ll hit a point when the business is all you’re doing – you start to miss out on the little things in life.
- You’ll blow off plans to go out with friends and families
- You’ll make excuses to avoid connecting with people
- You’ll neglect other important tasks for the sake of the business
What you need to de-stress are mini-sabbaticals. Little bouts of time away from the business, like a vacation, that will let you unwind and not have to think about the business.
This could be a short road trip, a week off to catch up on books, videos, and binge watching T.V. shows, a few days visiting family and friends, or a day or two of going to the beach and soaking up the sun.
Don’t worry. The business will be there when you get back. Just make sure everything is set in terms of customer support and you shouldn’t have a problem taking a few days off here and there.
2. Concrete “Off” Times
From the time you wake to the time you’re laying down you will feel a nagging sensation that you should be doing work on your business. It’s easy to justify the work because it’s going to help with your success, income, and growth.
But what happens when work becomes your life?
In time the only reason you’re putting in the long, long hours is that you’re not being efficient with your time. You’re trying to cram in as much as you can each day. The problem with overloading is not only the stress but that your work may eventually get sloppy.
You need a definitely cut-off time.
This could be your average 5PM like normal closing hours or a “blackout” time like 8pm – 11pm where no work is discussed so that way you can enjoy those hours however you want.
3. Guilt-Free Fun Money
Every bit of money you get through your business your thought process is to either put it in the bank for yourself or reinvest it to improve the business.
These two are certainly the smartest options for your finances but what you should do is also take a percentage of your income that will go towards a guilt-free, fun fund.
This money should be used on whatever you want. It’s not going to make you feel bad because it was already determined to be guilt-free. Use the money however you want. Go out and treat yourself. Step away from the business and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
4. Hand It Over
The business is your baby. You don’t want others touching it because you think they’ll do something to mess it up. Likewise, you want to have full control.
But you’ve got to learn when to let go.
You may want to have your hands in every aspect of the business but what you’re really doing is stretching yourself too thin. Additionally, you’re probably not all that great at all those aspects of the business which means you’re not getting the best results on your efforts.
The smart, de-stressful choice is to hand it over to professionals that know what they’re doing. Put them in charge of the areas that are bringing you stress. Let them use their skills to truly maximize that aspect of your business.
Now you’ll have extra time to work on the areas of business you actually care bout while knowing everything else is being taken care of through the aid of the professionals.
5. Learn to Say No
As you rise to your success you will certainly begin to get offers from other professionals within your industry (and possibly from others). People want to work with you because you’re doing great things.
They will approach you with an interesting opportunity. It’s easy to get caught up with the value it can bring to your business but if you start taking on too many of these opportunities you’ll really wear yourself out trying to balance it all.
You’ve got to learn when to say no.
There are always great opportunities. It certainly sucks when you miss them but it’s equally bad if you went with one that didn’t pan out and just wasted your time and money.
Stick to the core business. Really think into the opportunity before you say yes and don’t feel bad if you have to tell them no. Appreciate the value of your time. By saying no you’ll greatly cut down on additional stressful activities you probably didn’t need at this time.
Conclusion
Try not to let stress get the best of you.
A little here and there can definitely light a fire and get you working hard but too much can shut you down.
So take it easy. Take time off. Know when to turn it off. Have fun. Hand some work over. And learn when to say no. These are five things that will greatly help dealing and eliminating stress in your business.
