Time and stress management
Coping with the demands of business ownership
When you run your own business, you are responsible for generating income and keeping your business successful. This bottom-line responsibility can create stress, especially if you are also chief phone answerer, mail opener, and customer service representative, in short, if you are responsible for what feels like everything.
You can learn techniques to manage stress and improve time management. You can learn to delegate and to improve organization, whether at home or in the business.
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Here are some simple but effective techniques to help manage the demands of your busy business and personal life:
- Keep a notebook handy to write down your ideas, appointments, or promises to deliver. And don’t forget to page back through it and follow up on action items, or put appointments into your calendar.
- Prioritize your tasks on a daily basis. Write a “to-do” list; it concretely helps you see what must be done. Even with long-term projects, get in the practice of writing down the steps required to reach your goal.
- Getting into a routine helps with efficiency. If you are home-based, you may want to set specific business hours so that friends and family are aware of when your time is off-limits. This will help you stay on task, ignore distractions and complete your tasks. Or you may let the answering machine take your calls, and set a specific time during the day to return calls.
- Keep your desk neat. If you put things away when you’re done with them, it means a less likely chance of misplacing items. Don’t let a mound of papers grow. When you’ve read it, act on it. Do not put it in a pile to look at “when you get around to it.” File it, send it on to someone else for action, schedule it, or toss it.
- Be aware of your own limitations. Do you procrastinate, have unclear objectives or a lack of self-discipline? Are you easily interrupted? Tackle these issues and deal with them. Figure out how to overcome each obstacle with simple, practical steps. Sometimes just forcing yourself to get started is all it takes.
- Reward yourself when you complete an unpleasant task. This may help you cut down on procrastination.
Delegate
As an entrepreneur, you may also be your own PR specialist, sales person, receptionist, fund-raiser, Web specialist, bookkeeper and accountant. Learning to delegate can be difficult for entrepreneurs, but it may be the only way to succeed.
The skill of delegating lies in knowing which tasks and functions to delegate.
- Which tasks take time but contribute little to your overall business effort?
- Which tasks can you delegate cost-effectively?
- Can you identify people with the expertise required to perform a given task?
- Will you/can you train others to perform certain tasks?
Be prepared initially to spend more time getting someone up to speed to effectively handle his or her new responsibility. It may cost a little more in time and money, but the investment is often worth it.
Exercise and fun can reduce stress
Exercise is a great way to open up your mind and make you feel good. If you don’t like working out in a gym, take a walk or find a sport you enjoy.
And have fun! Fly a kite with your child, or go see a movie. It’s good to be with other people, away from the pressures of business. A little time away can give a big boost to your energy level and productivity.