Women's Life Link Be Well, Be Happy, Be YOU!
I won’t candy coat this, running your own business is hard work that can often create stress and worry. This can happen quickly for startups and businesses that are in a large growth pattern. Though these things are exciting also, it’s important to minimize stress as much as you can. Periods of prolonged stress without a break can take a toll on your wellbeing, physical energy, and your personal life.
Of course, your mental state and attitude play a large role in how stress enters your life and how it’s handled. That said, there are some things you can do to keep things running a little smoother. Take a look at these stress-busting actions for small businesses.
Stress-Busting Action #1: Organize Tasks and Time
If you feel permanently stressed and find it hard to juggle an ever-growing to-do list, it helps to get organized. Consider breaking down your list into sections of importance. Start by writing down what you need to do, either on a spreadsheet or by hand. The mere act of writing things out can relieve the pressure of trying to remember everything. Next, prioritize items in their order of importance and urgency, so you can work your way through accordingly.
Do also set yourself up for success by scheduling the appropriate time for each task or project. Rushing yourself leads to disorganization and further bouts of stress and anxiety.
Have Contingencies in Place
There’s nothing more able to bring your stress levels to a head than problem-solving a situation that could potentially be disastrous to your business. No matter how well-run your company is, unexpected problems can arise. And, answers may not come immediately or easily.
To keep a situation from becoming a crisis, consider putting contingency plans in place that can be implemented if they are ever needed. Things to think about when trying to disaster-proof your business include; backing up your files, enabling work to be accessed from anywhere (Cloud Services), staff changes, and unexpected financial hits.
Outsource Where Possible
When you are used to carrying out every role in your business yourself, it can be hard to let go. However, sometimes, the best solution to managing your stress is to outsource parts of your work. Of course, if any of your staff can take on more responsibility, delegate it appropriately. Otherwise, look outside your business to complete jobs that are taxing or are outside your abilities.
Outsourcing offers many benefits to new business owners as well as seasoned ones. You are simply hiring skilled professionals to carry out what you can’t or don’t need to do. Areas to consider outsourcing include IT Support, marketing, website management, social media management, and admin support via a virtual assistant. All of these services can vary in depth, depending on your business and needs. You may just need to outsource part of your work and not need a full-time service.
This enables you to get projects or work done more efficiently and possibly better than you or your team could have done. You will also have more time to work on other aspects of running and growing your business.
