Women entrepreneurs have the best of both worlds. We’re able to live our life as we choose, striving to attain our goals, hopes and dreams. Of course with all of this freedom and empowerment comes a heady dose of stress. Entrepreneurs have the common characteristic of biting off more than they can chew, or almost more than they can chew since they often accomplish things when all odds are against them.
All of this stress can have a negative effect on happiness and satisfaction. Your successes and achievements don’t feel as good as they should because you’re already onto the next task with no time to celebrate. And stress has a scientifically proven effect on health and longevity. Here are a few ways to eliminate stress and live a balanced life.
- Schedule time for yourself – Entrepreneurs are all about planning, scheduling and doing, right? So schedule time for yourself every day. Small bits of time each day spent on self-care, exercise, a hobby or spending time with friends for example, is a great way to help eliminate stress while taking care of your mental and physical health. On top of those smaller bits of time, be sure to take time off each month, or find a way to take large chunks of time off each quarter or annually. Work hard, play hard.
- Outsource – Did you know you can actually outsource much of your work at surprisingly low cost? In fact, it actually makes sense to outsource tasks, particularly if it frees your time to focus on other more profitable tasks. Common tasks to outsource are administrative tasks and even tasks like household cleaning.
- Use your resources – Chances are you have a support group, right? Friends, family and associates that are in your life are there to help you. Entrepreneurs are creative, right? Get creative when it comes to using your resources. Find ways to help each other out. Babysitting swapping is one common way to help a fellow female entrepreneur out. Band together to exercise or to simply get out and have fun on a regular basis. Your support group can help you stay motivated and help you find time to de-stress.
- Leave work at the office – Whether you have a home-based office or an outside office, it’s important to set limits for yourself. Obviously, you can work all day and all night – there’s always something to do, but that’s not balanced and the result will be burn-out, too much stress and general mental and physical fatigue. Set boundaries for yourself and stick to them.
- Embrace technology – It’s amazing what technology can do for us to make life easier. It can automate our customer service, remind us of appointments, help us stay on track financially, automate our product fulfillment process, and of course help us stay in touch with customers on a regular basis. Without creating more work for yourself, embrace technology to help make your life easier. Did you know there are membership sites that will plan your menu for the week and produce a shopping list? Yay technology!
- Find a non-work activity that makes you smile – Do you love to read? Swim? Roller derby? What about painting, dancing or going to rowdy football games with your friends? Regularly make time for non-work activities that bring you joy and make you smile. In fact, take time right now to make a list of a dozen things you like to do, get on the phone or email and start scheduling them.
Can you have it all? No, but you can have everything you need and want, provided you take steps to make it happen. A balanced life is important for everyone, and it’s particularly important for entrepreneurs like you who like to burn the candle at both ends. You’re smart – stay healthy and sane and take the steps necessary to live a more balanced life.