What You Can Do to Reduce Stress in Your Career or Business

Busy professionals and small business owners tend to have a lot in common, not the least of which is having a lot of stress.

Dealing with daily stress can keep you from being your best. It’s helpful to learn how to conquer stress and the effects it has on your overall health and wellness in order to achieve success in your career. Read more about the affects stress has on you or to take a survey to become clear on your relationship with stress.

To help you get on the right track, here are a few ways you can reduce stress.

Stay on Top of Your Finances at Work and Home

When it comes to stress, finances can be a huge source of additional strain. Creating a solid financial plan for your business can cut a lot of that stress out for you.

You can begin by figuring out how much capital you will need to start and creating a realistic plan to track cash flow over the coming months. Many people like to create a projected earnings number, but if you’re fairly new, that may be no more accurate than pulling a number out of a hat. With no results yet to use in a projection, it’s a guessing game. That’s just one reason why tracking everything from the start is going to be so useful.

It’s also a good idea to look into all of the options that may be available to you when it comes to financing your business.

You can look into small business loans or credit cards, or even try crowdfunding to raise the money you need to get your startup off the ground. Even if you're not planning on starting your own business, you making sure your own finances are in order will lower your stress level.

For most new businesses, it’s also important to keep costs low. So, if you’re thinking of paying monthly rent for office space, but your success doesn’t rely strongly on the actual space you are in, consider setting things up at home, being part of a co-op space, or renting space only when you need it…hourly or by the day.

Don’t Hesitate to Hire Help

Okay, so you may not be at the point of being able to hire additional staff for your small business. But you can think about hiring people to help out with other areas of your life. When you are working on building a business or advancing your career, you may feel like you are working 24/7.

Getting someone to clean your home, maintain your yard, walk your dog, or deliver your meals or groceries frees up precious minutes in your day and reduces your stress levels. Even part-time help can make a difference. The ideal is it gives you some time back so you can put up your feet and relax or treat yourself to a nice warm bath after a long day. Taking time to relax is just as important as taking time to help your business succeed. So make time for self-care.

Plan Out Your Days from Start to Finish

Time is a precious commodity. If you are easily distracted throughout the day, you may end up falling behind on tasks or missing details altogether. That’s why it is important to really map out your day, or week, ahead of time.

Use a planner or an app on your phone to help you pull your schedule together. Try scheduling smart to get more done. Take less critical decisions, such as what to wear or eat out of the equation, so you can focus on important tasks.

Schedule your work in 52-minute increments and then allow yourself 8 minutes to focus on something else—stretch, breathe deeply, drink water, or better yet take a break outside. Studies show that spending time outdoors can improve your focus and leave you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day.

You can also prevent a lot of stress by taking steps to make your work more efficient.

How would it affect your life if you could get the same amount of work done as you are now but in 10%-25% less time? Being efficient and productive is a worthwhile goal.

Stress shouldn’t keep you from achieving success and happiness in your business. Focusing on reducing your stress now will help you avoid even more tension later and allow you to enjoy your success without having to sacrifice your health or happiness.      

Written by: Julie Morris—Life and Career Coach, http://juliemorris.org
Edited by: Amiee Mueller
Photo Credit: Energepic Design

Sources:
Avoid Health Risks of Financial Stress
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Ways to unwind after work
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How spending more time outdoors can help you