Starting and running your own business can be exciting and rewarding, but it can also be very stressful. For most of our nearly 40 years of marriage, my husband has been an entrepreneur and I have worked with him at times. Having built my own business as a Stress Reduction Coach, I have been reflecting on the stress of being an entrepreneur.
Signs and sources of stress
Some of the signs of stress overload include irritability, anxiety about the sustainability of the company and / or high business debt. Relationships within the family can suffer if they don’t understand the entrepreneurial drive or the time and effort it takes to start and run a business. For enterprising women, the work of managing the home and balancing work and home can create enormous stressors. When you work from home, all the housework that needs to be done can take you away from your business. People who are drawn to being entrepreneurs are sometimes ideas people who don’t like details and repetitive tasks. Having to work on those things can also create stress. And when you’re stressed, it’s harder to focus and focus.
Organize your environment
One of the solutions is to reduce stress and create an environment that discourages it. Have a place where you can keep everything together and organized. A written business action plan posted where you can see it along with a daily plan can help you focus on the time you have available.
A system that works for me
I am not a person who gets into organization easily and I have struggled to find a way that works. Daytime timers and lists help for a while, but I’ve never been able to keep up with them. One thing that I have found works is having a “big picture” of what needs to be done where you can see it. I have a poster board size “static sticky” cover sheet that sticks to my door. It can be easily rolled up and removed if necessary. I have several categories that I have posted at the top of the sheet, such as “website”, “presentation”, and so on. These are written on standard size sticky notes so they can be easily removed and changed. I think of everything I need to do on little sticky notes. After brainstorming, I organize the notes into the appropriate columns. I also have a category that says TODAY for urgent and important things. I can look at the poster while I’m working and see what else I may need to do and when I finish what I have to do, I can throw away the post-it. If something comes up that is not posted, I can put it on a sticky note and put it where it belongs.
This “system” helped me write many graduate papers and I used it when planning and writing my thesis. Now it helps me plan and work on my business. This is just one technique that helps me reduce the stress of being an entrepreneur.
