Even small business owners find themselves struggling with burnout at times.
When you run your own company, it’s easy to feel like you can’t take time off from work. But self-care is truly essential for entrepreneurs. If you want to become a better leader, you need to care for your body and mind!
These 7 tips can help you run your business without sacrificing your own wellbeing!
Find Ways to Save Time
Getting comfortable with delegation can free up lots of time in your schedule. Maybe it’s time to hire more employees, bring a few contractors on board for a temporary busy period, or find a personal assistant who can help you with administrative tasks. You could even work with a staffing agency to streamline this process. When you delegate tasks to someone else, 101 Productivity recommends providing the designated team member with all of the resources and guidance they need to tackle these responsibilities independently. Be specific about your expectations, and check in with them to see if they need any further advice.
You can also outsource domestic chores to others. For instance, you could subscribe to a meal delivery service or hire a cleaning service to save time. The money you spend on services like this is well worth it!
Prioritize Personal Finance
When you have a fluctuating income from your business, it can be difficult to manage your personal finances. To track your finances, boost your savings rate, and get a better handle on money management, Ellevest recommends sticking to a reasonable budget, regularly investing in a retirement savings account, and prioritizing paying down debt.
You can also change the way you run your business to reduce your financial stress. For instance, you might want to register your business as an LLC to establish limited liability. Your state will have its own filing regulations, so check out the local guidelines before you start gathering your paperwork. To avoid breaking the bank with costly lawyer fees, you can file on your own or use a budget-friendly online formation service who are well-versed in how to form an LLC. With this business structure, you’ll also qualify for special tax breaks and enjoy a high degree of flexibility. Plus, you’ll only have to file minimal paperwork.
Exercise Regularly
When you’re a busy entrepreneur, you might struggle to find a window of opportunity to exercise, but focusing on fitness is crucial for your mental and physical health. You don’t necessarily have to get a gym membership to get in shape — instead, you can work out at home! Designate an area as your “fitness space,” and include working out in your calendar so that you don’t skip it.
Let Yourself Relax
Meditation and yoga are great relaxation tools for any busy entrepreneur. And you do not need hours of uninterrupted free time for either of these practices. Spending a few minutes on basic poses and deep breathing in the morning, afternoon, or evening can help you feel truly balanced throughout the day!
Get More Sleep
As an entrepreneur, you probably find yourself staying up late sometimes. Sometimes, the demands of your business leave you working longer hours than you’d like, and you end up losing sleep. Simply getting to bed on time is a form of self-care, but this is often difficult for business owners! To improve your sleep schedule, Everyday Health recommends powering down your devices well before bedtime, establishing a relaxing evening routine, and avoiding caffeine late in the day.
Eat Well
In order to tackle all of your obligations, you need to fuel your body with the right foods. Focus on eating fresh produce, whole grains, leafy greens, and lean protein. Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day so that you don’t get dehydrated, and stock up on nutritious snacks like nuts, fruit, and granola bars with low sugar content. And on the weekends, try to cook at home rather than going out to eat!
Keep Up With Hobbies
Maybe you used to have lots of hobbies — but once you went into business for yourself, you felt like you couldn’t justify spending time on activities that didn’t boost your income. This is a common challenge for entrepreneurs. Keeping up with hobbies that have nothing to do with your business gives you a creative outlet, opens up chances to meet new friends, and reminds you that there is more to life than your career. Include time for your old hobbies in your schedule — it will be a welcome break from work!
When you’re passionate about growing your business, it’s easy to forgo exercising, going to bed early, and simply giving yourself time to relax. But if self-care isn’t part of your weekly routine, your exhaustion will affect your ability to run your company effectively. With these tips, you’ll be inspired to incorporate self-care into your to-do lists as an item that you cannot skip!
Today, workplace wellness programs like IncentFit are making it easier for entire teams to stay on top of self-care. Looking to introduce a wellness benefit solution for your company?
Schedule a demo with IncentFit’s benefit specialists today!
Cheryl Conklin is an aspiring writer. She is also a blogger, adventurer, traveler, and creator of Wellness Central. She uses wellnesscentral.info to share her thoughts on wellness along with the great resources she finds on her own wellness journey.