Starting or running a business and feeling a little frazzled or overwhelmed?
You are definitely not alone and you have come to the right place. Below I will talk about how to get into a good headspace while navigating through the endless list of starting a business.
Our mind can either be our best friend or our worst enemy, it is up to you and your perspective. A few things that helped me along the way
Step 1: Take a day off… and actually enjoy it!
You heard me. We are conditioned to feel guilty for not being productive and that is an important thing to recognise. We don’t need an excuse to rest.
It is proven that a day off will improve your mental clarity. Overworking yourself will lead to a reduction in creativity and increased amounts of stress which begin to compound on each other.
Step 2: Set working hours & some boundaries
As the joke goes, we leave a 9-5 to work 24/7. I know it’s tempting to just get something done or reply to that client in the wee hours of the night but try to resist. Designating specific work hours will help keep your work from bleeding into your home life and vice versa.
Separating work phones from personal can help you resist the temptation of checking those pesky notifications or simply setting your phone to DND
Step 3: Cultivate a healthy relationship with your socials
Do not feel the need to post everyday or have tonnes and tonnes of content.
There’s a great book by Simon Sinek called Start With Why, where he states “Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. By WHY I mean your purpose, cause or belief – WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?”
The same applies to your social media. Ask yourself WHY do you have social media? What is it that you want to accomplish with your social media channel? Write down your why and keep it somewhere you can see it every day. When your feeling stressed or overwhelmed by the stresses of social media (or ahem, the dreaded algorithm) always come back to your why. It will keep you grounded and give you the motivation to remember why you started in the first place.
Also, turn off your notifications.
Step 4: Outsource those dreaded tasks!
We all have those tasks we just absolutely dread, but in a world of Airtasker, Fiverr or Freelancer you really don’t need to do it!
Running a business comes with so many job titles and we cannot be good at everything. If you are in a position to, outsource the work that doesn’t bring you joy. This will allow you to focus on the job you need to do and reduce the overwhelming nature businesses have.
Step 5: Stay Connected
Business is tough! There are times of famine and those of feast and unfortunately in times of famine it is easy to feel depressed. Running a small business takes time and energy and sometimes this can be isolating. This may be in a literal sense if you are a sole trader working by yourself. If you are an employing small business owner, being able to share some of the challenges of business with your staff isn’t always possible and this too can feel isolating.