SBA Forum

When you run your own business, it can be all-consuming. Don’t let this infringe on your valuable family time and your relationships. It’s important to respect both family time and work time, and to set up specific “hours” for both. One way to do this is to schedule out your day in advance , and to account for family events that may throw off your work schedule. After all, part of being your own boss is being able to take off in the middle of the day to watch your kid’s kindergarten play! When things like that happen, make “appointments” for every activity you have going on. If that means email admin needs to be scheduled for 10 PM after everyone goes to bed, so be it. Usually, though, keeping “regular” work and life “hours” is key to finding balance. Be the boss of your notifications! During your life “hours” (aka family time) turn off your notifications. This isn’t time for checking email or replying to a comment in your study group or Facebook community. I find that turning the notifications off on your mobile device, tablet, or laptop significantly decreases the temptation to work during your non-work hours. Let clients know about your hours ahead of time so they’re aware of your availability. Let your family and friends know, as well, so they know when they can expect you to be fully engaged or available for a quick phone call. During this process, you might feel anxious. Always remember: it’s okay to not be working all the time .

It’s believed that recruiting and keeping the best employees is the biggest challenge for a small business. The benefits of retaining talent are well documented . However, the issue of owner burnout and leader retention is far riskier to a business than employee burnout . According to CNBC, burnout is one of the most common reasons that businesses fail . When you don’t take care of yourself, your business is at risk of becoming less profitable, or worse. One in two small businesses fail within five years of opening , and research shows that burnout and exhaustion are contributing factors . Related:  Staying Motivated When You're on the Verge of Burnout Personal wellness is becoming a priority for small-business owners. Our members expressed that balancing their own needs with those of their business was one of their biggest challenges . One of our members expressed to me that they believed their health and the health of their business are not separate. Even if your business remains profitable in the midst of feeling like you’re running on empty, a constant level of stress and anxiety can have long-term health consequences . While threats to our health are inevitable, practicing self-care can help limit the risks to our business. Plus, practicing wellness actually promotes productivity . When you don’t have time to do everything you want to grow your business, how can you make time to care for yourself? Turns out it isn’t as hard as you might think. Self-care doesn’t have to mean adding more to your list. Simply swap out existing habits with new habits. To keep you and your business healthy, try introducing the five tips below into your regular routine. 1. Connect I recognize the need for small-business owners and entrepreneurs to have a community -- that’s why I do what I do every day. Jim Brunberg is the owner of three local businesses in Portland, Oregon, ( Mississippi Studios , Revolution Hall and Roam Schooled) and a Townsquared member. As an entrepreneur, Brunberg describes himself as a “lone wolf,” but even he agrees that business owners are stronger together . Related:  10 Ways to Connect With Absolutely Anyone You Meet Reporter Jennifer Worick identifies as a reluctant extrovert and socializer, but her recent article in The Seattle Times states that, “ networking and personal connections are more important than ever [in our contemporary economy] .” When you’re the one making all of the decisions, the success of the company falls on you. Connecting with others who know exactly what you’re going through is important, and our social connections have as much impact on our long-term health as eating well or quitting smoking . 2. Take a class. Mastery of a new task or object can improve your cognitive functioning . Budgeting enough time to attend a business course is not feasible for everyone all the time. In the long-term, being proficient in a new program could land your business on the cutting edge of a business trend, so the short-term investment of time could have long-term payoffs. 3. Get active. Beyond just improving your physical health, recent research has demonstrated how exercise improves your mental health and can prevent the symptoms of burnout . Rather than sitting in a conference room, I try to take walking meetings. Sometimes I take phone meetings on the move. I’ve found that committing to taking 30-minute walks three times per week is a reasonable goal. 4. Set a bedtime. Creating a balanced business budget, working out wages, preparing a business plan to get a loan… There will always circumstances and tasks that will compete with the need for sleep. But the consequences of going without sleep in the long-term are significant, including obesity and diabetes, mental health issues and cardiovascular disease . Related:  Fighting Sleep Is a Losing Management Strategy. Let Your Employees Take Naps. And the cost to your business may be even higher. Health.com reported a study by Harvard Medical School that suggested sleep deprivation costs the US economy $63 billion a year due to lost productivity . Lack of sleep significantly reduces your level of work output and decreases innovation . One late night can easily turn into a week of late nights; commit to a time you will go to bed. Then set an alarm on your smartphone for when you’ll go to sleep ( and when you’ll wake up). Use this bedtime as a deadline to keep you on track for completing tasks and ending your work day. 5. Laugh! As a small-business owner, there will be moments when you’re unsure whether you should be laughing or crying. The Mayo Clinic recommends laughing, because it’s a great form of stress relief . Laughter stimulates many organs, activates and relieves your stress response, and soothes tension. Turn on a movie for some comic relief, watch a silly YouTube video or talk to a friend whom you think is funny. It can feel strange at first to think about self-care as a business goal, especially if it means allocating time away from tasks that you normally associate with productivity. However, in the long-term you will find that your business thrives when you do.

Self Care for Busy Entrepreneurs We won’t lie: entrepreneurship can be hard. There’s a reason that along with our posts about analytics and email marketing , we also discuss topics like loneliness , stress , and sleep . Self care sets you up to be mentally, emotionally, and physically equipped to handle the demands of a small business . Before you argue that you have no time or money for self care, let me stop you: this is my favorite excuse. I see you. The cost of not taking care of yourself is much greater in the long run. Invest in future you, and ultimately your business, by practicing self care. We’ve put together 9 quick tips, including additional resources for each: 1. Breathe Let’s start with an easy one. Breathing happens naturally whether you’re thinking about it or not, right? But how are you breathing? Short, panting puffs? Holding your breath, subconsciously? There are proven benefits to controlled and mindful breathing including staving off stress . Where shallow breathing contributes to anxiety, full abdominal breaths help slow the heart and stabilize blood pressure. If you have trouble remembering to breathe deeply, practice yoga or other guided exercises that focus on breath, until it comes naturally. 📚 Recommended reading: How to Focus Better in the Era of Information Overload “Since oxygen is fundamentally tied to our ability to focus, deep breathing exercises can help you quiet your mind and boost your focus.” ( read mor e ) There are proven benefits to controlled and mindful breathing including staving off stress. 2. Minimize Stress through Exercise “Exercise” is a scary word. But you don’t need to spend tons of money on gym fees, or hours on the treadmill to reap the benefits. The average adult should get about 150 minutes of exercise per week . It sounds like a lot when you’re already tapped out, but break it up into small 10-20 minute chunks throughout your work week: take the dog for a walk, do a circuit of strength exercises using your own body weight (tip: try a free app like Quick Fit ), jog around the block, or even do lunges on your way to and from the bathroom. Regular aerobic exercise boosts the part of your brain responsible for memory and learning . 📚 Recommended reading: Understanding Stress: How to Manage Pressure for a More Productive Life “Exercise releases endorphins that act as your body's natural painkillers. They can relieve tension and improve the quality of your sleep, thus reducing your stress levels. Even 5 minutes of cardio can help achieve this effect. Making exercise a regular part of your lifestyle can change the way you react to stress.” ( read more ) 3. Sleep More (and Better) Sleep deprivation contributes to reduced decision making ability and stunts creativity . You might get more done by burning the midnight oil, but at what cost? Build a routine that includes better sleeping habits, and, if you can’t seem to catch a solid 8 hours, a good 10-30 minute power nap will pick up the slack. You might get more done by burning the midnight oil, but at what cost? 📚 Recommended reading: The Hidden Cost of Being a Night Owl (And How to Sleep Better) “It’s recommended that most adults should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. But it’s also about the quality of the sleep and when you wake up—you can get a good 8 hours and still feel groggy in the morning.” ( read more ) 4. Eat the Right Stuff What’s the right stuff? Well, it depends on who you ask. It’s confusing to navigate nutritional information that seemingly contradicts itself everywhere you look. It’s so overwhelming that when you’re busy, it seems much easier to grab fast food—it saves time and fills the gap. But not all food is created equal. Your food choices have a direct impact on cognitive performance , so it’s important to choose wisely. High carb foods like pasta release glucose too quickly, making you peak before suddenly crashing. High fat foods make our digestive systems work overtime, reducing oxygen in the brain and sapping our energy. Your food choices have a direct impact on cognitive performance. To avoid poor food choices, plan ahead. Prepare healthy snacks and meals for the week, portioned out in the fridge (ask me about my favorite slow-cooker recipes ). When in doubt, go for greens—increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables actually impacts engagement and creativity at work. And, don’t forget about water. 🎥 Recommended viewing: Meet a Maker, Episode 1: Ruth Tal of Fresh Restaurants talks juicing and entrepreneurship 5. Seek Human Interaction Loneliness can take a psychological toll, and even contribute to physical health problems. Human interaction may not be automatically built into your day the way it was at your salary job. You may never see your customers or vendors face-to-face, and your social life may have suffered from your 24/7 business responsibilities. Take a proactive approach to getting facetime with other humans: work from a coffee shop once a week, join local entrepreneur meetup groups, or kill two birds by finding a running buddy. Work from a coffee shop, join local entrepreneur meetup groups, or find a running buddy. 📚 Recommended reading: Feeling Lonely? 5 Ways to Cure the Entrepreneurship Blues “Loneliness has recently been linked with an increased risk of heart disease and cancer, and poor social networks can contribute to a number of other health concerns like obesity. Cabin fever, it seems, is a more worrisome diagnosis than I thought. And, it’s an epidemic: the rate of loneliness has doubled in the past 30 years, with 40% of Americans reporting feeling lonely. Entrepreneurship’s “dark side” is the psychological toll that can put business owners at higher risk for mental health issues, and loneliness is a slippery slope.” ( read more ) 6. Get Outside What’s the best part of working for yourself? You make the rules. And, if you’re running an ecommerce dropshipping business, for example, you can pretty much work from anywhere. Since too much stale air can actually decrease productivity , take in some sunshine and vitamin D by working from your balcony or the patio of a local café. If you’re operating your business from a windowless warehouse, it’s all the more reason to make time for fresh air. Start your day with a trip to the coffee shop, or take a brisk mid-day walk. 📚 Recommended reading: Why Working From the Road Is Good for Business (and How to Do It) “Studies have uncovered that subjects perform 50% better on problem-solving tasks after three days of active wilderness exposure. And, according to Eva M. Selhub, Harvard professor and author, nature ‘turns off the stress response which means you have lower cortisol levels, lower heart rate and blood pressure and improved immune response.’ In short: get outside!” ( read more ) 7. Love your Space Your workspace is a place where you’ll be spending the majority of your waking hours, especially while getting a business off the ground. Be mindful of how you design the space—it can impact your happiness and make you feel motivated . Ask yourself: is there enough delineation between personal and work space? Is the furniture ergonomic and conducive to an efficient work flow? Is there adequate light and ventilation? Small improvements like a splash of paint or a few houseplants can actually have a positive impact on mood . 📚 Recommended reading: Home Office Ideas: Brilliant Hacks to Maximize Productivity “Dark, cramped, and unappealing spaces could actually be doing harm to your business, not to mention your psyche. Tech startups are famous for investing heavily in swanky office spaces for their employees. While it might feel like money-burning, there’s plenty of research to support that thoughtfully designed spaces can increase productivity and happiness. And happy workers do good work – the ROI is obvious.” ( read more ) Dark, cramped, and unappealing spaces could actually be doing harm to your business, not to mention your psyche. 8. Treat Yourself Allow yourself to be rewarded for your hard work, whether it’s a weekend away , or something as simple as your favourite take-out. There may be no one else around to celebrate your small victories, like launching your store or getting your first sale. It’s a principle that works for large companies who pamper employees to improve motivation and retention . The same can work to self-motivate you through rough patches. Set goals, but don’t forget to reward yourself when you reach them. 📚 Recommended reading: 10 Secrets to Achieving the Elusive Work-Life Balance “Don’t just take vacations, but celebrate each and every little holiday. Many entrepreneurs see holidays as extra hours they can use to “get ahead”. However, holidays, beyond what they are supposed to stand for, break up and separate your year. Without them, mornings blend into days, blend into nights, blend into weeks, blend into months. Before you know it, you don’t even know what the date is. Your life becomes one long work session. Holidays break up the day-in, day-out grind.” ( read more ) 9. Check in with Mental Health Researchers suggest that entrepreneurs tend to have character traits that make them more vulnerable to mood swings, depression, and loss of motivation . Check in with yourself often, maintain healthy relationships, and engage in good self care practices like regular exercise and ample sleep. If you’re still struggling, talk to a professional. 🔈 Recommended listening: Achieving Mindfulness: How to Beat Stress and Stay Productive as an Entrepreneur “A recent survey found that maintaining a small business causes twice as much stress as maintaining a healthy relationship, nearly three times as much stress as raising children, and more than four times the stress of managing their personal finances.” ( read more ) Entrepreneurs tend to have character traits that make them more vulnerable to mood swings, depression, and loss of motivation. Source: https://www.shopify.ca/blog/self-care-for-entrepreneurs