Wow, it’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed when you’re building your own business. You fulfilling every role in that business – creation, ideas, marketing, sales, social media management, book keeping – the list goes on!! But you’re also fulfilling all the other roles in your life too.
Let’s think about that. We’re all a son or daughter. Some of us are a sister or brother. We might be parents and stepparents. We’re grandchildren, or possibly even grandparents! We all have friends and family, but we also all have things we need to do that are just for us! Not our business, not our families or friends, but ourselves!
So how do we keep this juggle going without giving in to utter overwhelm? How do we remember all the minutiae about our day to day life and get it all done whilst still finding some calm?
I’ve spoken to many business owners who thrive on doing what they’re doing, who are passionate about their business and ideas. But at some point, it’s not uncommon for them to want to throw in the towel and do something else – just for a quieter, calmer life. Been there? Yep, me too!
So today my Tuesday Tips are all about ways to prevent yourself from feeling overwhelmed and find better balance and moments of calm. I hope they help.
1. Write everything down.
It’s clears your head. I can’t stress enough how helpful this is. There’s nothing worse than having a million things swimming around in your mind. Things you know you can’t forget, but even so, how can you remember them all? And then things have a habit of coming back to you just as you’re trying to get to sleep!!
There are lots of ways of doing this. Every day, I use my bullet journal and ensure I’ve got all the things I need to do / want to do / have to do written down. I also keep a notepad by my bed for those pesky late night thoughts that creep up and remind us what we must do tomorrow! Once the thoughts are out and down on paper, you can be safe in the knowledge you can relax and nothing is lost.
2. Create boundaries for your work.
What are your working hours? When is family time?
There’s nothing worse than trying to divide your attention between your family and your work. Guilt sets in, nothing receives the focus it needs, you feel stressed and overwhelmed. So decide where the boundaries lie. When are you working. When are you not? Give it a try.
3. Decide how to look after yourself.
What does self care mean to you and how can you incorporate it? In our Programme, we have a big emphasis on taking an holistic approach. If you don’t look after you, you can’t run a successful business, because eventually you will burn out. So work out what you need to be healthier and happier. Are you getting physical movement? Do you like to meditate? Is cooking your pleasure? Do you need time out with friends? Go back to tip 1 and start writing down your ideas about how to look after you.
4. Get help.
Just because you could spend time stressing yourself out and doing every single thing for yourself, doesn’t mean you should! It’s always a good thing to work out where you could do with some help. What tasks you can delegate. Where you can free up some time for you, and be more effective, productive and happier as a result.
5. Take breaks.
It is not a wise idea to just plough through your working day. One task after another. Never taking a break. And most probably dealing with some major procrastination in there too! Instead, split your day into chunks of time that have specific goals assigned to them. Then plan in regular breaks to help you stay calm, productive, shift your energy and stop yourself feeling overwhelmed. It might just be a few minutes to make some tea and breath some fresh air. It might be an energising walk. Or one of my favourites, a brilliant song, played loudly, for you to belt out and dance around to! Works wonders!!
We hope you found these tips useful – why not share your own in the comments? Then if you find you need some more support in this area, check out our Time and Fitting Everything In modules.