8 Stress-Busting Tips For New Freelancers And Entrepreneurs
Most people turn to freelancing or setting up their own businesses to escape the stress of that everyday cubicle life. But what they don’t realise is that the freelance/entrepreneurial lifestyle can be even more stressful!
It’s normal to turn into a bit of a workaholic when first setting up your business, but it’s just not sustainable to be “switched on” 24/7 in the long term. If you don’t learn how to manage your schedule, and your stress levels, you’ll end up burning out before your business has even taken off.
Stress can manifest itself in all kinds of physical ailments, such as a weakened immune system, muscle spasms, anxiety, obesity, acne, and even high blood pressure/heart disease. Sounds scary, right? But all of this can be avoided if you put proper systems in place to help you to manage your work and personal life and create enough space in your schedule to successfully balance both.
Let’s start with a few key changes you can make to keep your stress at a minimum as you grow your business.
1. Set Professional Boundaries And Stick To Them
When you first start out with a new business, it’s very easy to get sucked into the idea that you must do everything “right now”. As a result, you end up taking on much more than you’re capable of doing.
By creating boundaries for how and when you work, you can take control of your schedule and be straight up with clients about what your availability is and when you can realistically get the work done.
This might mean responding to that 2am email at 9am the next day, or telling a client who wants a Project done in 24 hours that it’s just not possible.
You’ll be surprised at how understanding your clients will be once you’re firm about your availability and time frame. Once your boundaries have been created, you’ll have much more balance in your schedule and you’ll lose the dreaded “fear” when a client email hits your inbox 1 day before deadline.
2. Get Organized
If you have a million post-it’s all over the place with various to-do’s that need to be completed, you’re going to fall into complete disarray sooner rather than later. Download a task management app like Buckets (well, we were hardly going to suggest something else!) to create individual Projects to manage and prioritize your work tasks using to-do lists, so that you never have to go searching for a missing post-it again.
3. Don’t Underestimate The Importance Of Downtime
Most freelancers and entrepreneurs tend to fit their time off around their work commitments. However this means that you can often go far too long without actually taking a break.
You must make downtime a priority or you’ll run out of steam before the year is over.
Take a lunch break, go for a walk, watch a sitcom, read a book — do whatever it is that takes you out of your head for a while to redirect your focus away from your to-do list.
4. Get Out Of The House
If you work from home, it’s easy to get stuck in the house for days on end without actually seeing anyone. Now, if this is just how you roll, that’s fine. And if it works for you, awesome. But for a lot of people, taking the time to get out and socialize will help them to recharge their batteries before getting back in the game. Make an effort to reach out to your friends/family once a week to have some fun!
5. Keep Tabs On Your Diet And Exercise Daily
It’s easy to fall into the fast food wagon when you’re constantly on the go, but it’s important to look after your diet if you want to be as productive as possible. Those energy slumps you get from fast food binging will only increase your stress levels and they’re just not worth it (well, except for that Friday night pizza & ice cream treat!).
Check out our top brain power foods to stay on your A-game in the kitchen and the office.
Exercise is also crucial to helping you to manage stress. Daily exercise releases feel-good endorphins, regulate your sleep, gives you an energy boost, and makes you more focused and calm. 30 minutes each day is all you need. If you think you don’t have time, make the time.
6. Identify What Stresses You Out The Most And Eliminate It
You can’t do this with everything, but there are definitely stressors in your life that you can easily take out of the equation. A good way to identify these is to keep a stress journal and write down whatever it is that’s on your mind each day. Once you know what you’re dealing with, you can come up with a plan of action.
For example, if you’re finding it hard to sleep because of a difficult client, you can can assess whether it’s worth sacrificing your mental health and sleep to keep working with that client. Remember, you’re running the show now and you can choose who you do and do not work with.
7. If You Can’t Eliminate A Stressor, Learn How To Manage It
The key question to ask yourself in this instance is; “what’s the worst that could happen?” When you’re in a stressful situation it’s very easy to get stuck in your head and become a bit irrational/unable to look at the situation objectively. By looking at the worst case scenario, you can figure out what you’d do in that scenario and take control of the situation. Once you’re in control. Your stress will reduce significantly.
8. Don’t Make Overtime The Norm
According to Research by John Pencavel of Stanford University, productivity decreases after 50 hours of work and is almost zero when you hit the 55 hour mark.
These additional work hours also affect your health in the long-term. This can be avoided by managing your work properly and creating a system that provides you with the consistency you need to get more done in less time, i.e. by creating a Buckets workflow to manage your commitments. Remember, it’s not about being “busy”, it’s about being productive.
Start By Taking Action Today
Conquering stress as a freelancer or entrepreneur is all about taking control. Once you’ve put these tips into action, you’ll see your stress levels drop significantly as a result.
Do you have any other tips for managing work-related stress? We’d love to hear about them in the comments section below!
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