Authored by Phil Cohen
After opening your small business, it became very evident that there just aren’t enough hours in the day, right? After all, there is just too much to do. When you’re in the office you’re tackling a million things. When you’re at home you’re thinking about a million more things you should be doing. You work hard to keep your business in top shape. It’s exhausting, and eventually it causes you a lot of stress. While it’s natural for stresses to come with owning a business, you shouldn’t let them overwhelm your life and work.
Stay on top of your stress with these 5 stress-relieving tips for small business owners:
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Have a daily plan
As a business owner, you know how busy a work day can get in the blink of an eye. Rather than trying to cram all your responsibilities into a few hours, make a daily plan to ensure that you are getting the right tasks done at the right times. Although it may sound elementary, making a daily schedule improves your productivity immensely. Figure out a way to organize your day that works for you. For example: keep a planner, update a desk calendar, add “reminders” to your phone, or use sticky notes to plan your day. Whether you chose to make a lengthy to-do list, or an hour-by-hour break down of what you need to get done, attacking each day with a plan is key to a stress-free work environment.Crossing tasks off your list throughout the day will provide a visual to your productivity, and show you what else needs to be accomplished. Do your work one day at a time so you don’t feel bombarded with projects that aren’t immediately important. As you make your plan, be sure to include breaks every now and then to treat yourself for all your hard work. Plus, stepping away from the computer screen for a couple of minutes will motivate you to complete another list item.
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Take time to get away
The life of a small business owner is non-stop. Even when you’re not at work, you are constantly checking your emails, keeping up with clients, and checking on co-workers to make sure that everything is running smoothly. Though, what is the point of going on vacation if you end up bringing your business with you? Schedule some time off for yourself throughout the year, but leave the work at home. Having time to connect with family and friends is just as important as staying connected with your business. Trust that your employees will keep your business afloat while you’re away. You don’t necessarily have to make yourself inaccessible, but limit the amount of times you do business-related things while you’re relaxing.Don’t have time to take a whole vacation? There’s still time to take a break. Regardless of if you actually leave the office, make time in your day to unwind. Meditate, practice yoga, or just sit in silence for a while. Allow yourself time to breathe to avoid getting overwhelmed. Above all, give yourself the luxury of going home to no work. That means not answering business-related calls, answering emails, or thinking about tomorrow’s work once you leave the office.
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Hire people to help
Who says that being a small business owner means who you have to tackle every big assignment on your own? When you think about it, you’ll be surprised to see how much time you’re wasting on jobs that other people could be doing. Hiring people to do basic administrative work, from managing your finances to maintaining a strong social media presence, allows you to devote your time to the things that matter. Try partnering with freelancers and virtual media experts to ensure your product is getting the attention it deserves. Remember that although other people are making decisions for your business, you always get the final say. After all, the time commitment to make the final decision compared to the one needed to do everything leading up to it is way less. You’ll see how easy and stress-free it is to accomplish the big things when the little things are delegated among your employees.
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Roll with the punches
Owning a small business is a roller coaster, both financially and socially. Remember to keep yourself grounded. In other words, never let yourself get too high or too low. You will have successes and failures–it is an inevitable factor of running a business. The key, however, is to accept what you cannot control and do everything you can to steer what you can control in your favor. So, appreciate your victories and learn from your mistakes. Think of it this way: failures are an excellent way of pointing out the flawed aspects of your company. Therefore, look at every failure as an opportunity to improve upon something. The more your company improves, the more successes it will see. Don’t let yourself get too bummed over things that don’t work out. Always remember that a high will come after a low and keep working toward it.
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Don’t try to “do it all”
A study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine revealed that it is widely believed among entrepreneurs that they must work more than 70 hours per week in order to be successful. As you can imagine, spending that much time on work doesn’t leave much time for important things. You know, like eating and sleeping? Working more than 70 hours a week is nearly impossible for someone who aims to keep a healthy lifestyle. Work hard during your work day, but there is no need to feel bad about ending your day when it is supposed to end. There is no shame in working a 40 to 50-hour week. Doing so allows you to be successful in your professional realm and maintain a healthy lifestyle outside of work. Be sure to leave time in your day to eat home-cooked meals, get exercise, and still get the recommended eight hours of sleep per night. Also, don’t sacrifice doing things you love for work. Your passions shouldn’t have to collect dust in your life just because you own a business. Make sure you allow yourself the time to relax with your favorite activities.
Knowing you have the money to pay your employees on time is one less stress in your day. Make sure you’re on top of payroll with factoring funding options. Check out what kind of invoice factoring options are available for your small business!