How to Reduce the Stress of Running a Business

Are you a business owner? Perhaps you’re a top-level executive responsible for making decisions. Either way, you’re in charge of a well-oiled machine, a task that comes with a lot of stress. Especially with everything going on in the world right now. To reduce the pressure and ensure success, follow the tips below.

Consider How to Prioritize

When you run an organization, you have hundreds of obligations on your to-do list. To ensure you make the most of your time, learn how to prioritize. Analyze your entire workload and designate which items are urgent. If you have projects tied in importance, assess which ones bring value to your business and impact your staff.

Remember that change is inevitable. Once you prioritize your tasks and determine what to do, stay flexible, and adapt to uncertainty. Plus, don’t focus on too many items—there’s only so much you can complete in a given day. If you experience burnout, it will do more harm in the long run.

Know When to Delegate

You can’t run an entire business by yourself. Plus, there’s no need to when you have staff. Look at everything you need to accomplish in a day, week or month and decide what you can pass along. Whenever you give employees a project, carefully explain the goal and how they can reach it.

Provide your workers with adequate support and allow them to come to you with questions. Discuss timelines and agree on checkpoints to review progress and offer feedback. To build motivation, discuss how successful completion of the project will impact future opportunities and financial rewards.

Look Into Automating Tasks

More than 90% of organizations use technology to automate business tasks, and 73% are satisfied with the results. When you implement this innovation, you free up precious time for employees to focus on human-sensitive activities. Workers will feel motivated when they can exercise creativity and avoid mundane duties.

With automation, each action offers high-quality and reliable results—robots don’t make mistakes, plus they don’t require breaks. Technology also allows you to complete more assignments using fewer resources, leading to increased savings. Start by using this innovation in small ways, such as adding a chatbot to your website.

Develop a Support System

Creating a support system within your company is critical to everyone—you, your managers and all your entry-level employees. To start, you need a team of decision-makers you can trust, people who can take the reins when you’re absent. Be sure your staff knows the hierarchy so that they always know who to turn to with a question.

Outside of the workplace, network with local businesses and community members. You can also join a mastermind group, a gathering of leaders who work through challenges and solve problems together. You become privy to a wealth of knowledge and expertise through collaboration.

Build a Stable Routine

A business routine ensures you stay on track of everything on your to-do list. It also gives a solid foundation to your day, forgoing little surprises that can lead to stress. For instance, try to arrive and leave the office at the same time every day. Use a calendar to schedule client meetings and team get-togethers.

Write down your break times and stick with them. During that time, even if it’s only 15 minutes, ignore your email and phone. Set daily, weekly and monthly targets and reward yourself—and your staff—when you adhere to them. At the day’s end, take a few moments to reflect on what you can do better moving forward.

Invest in Efficient Equipment

When you invest in tools for your company, you want to make sure they work efficiently and last for an extended period. This notion is especially true for compressed air, which is one of the most expensive forms of energy for manufacturing plants—often using more power than other equipment.

Before you make a purchase, be sure the machinery fits your business objectives. Will it increase productivity and make you more successful in the marketplace? Will an upgrade keep you ahead of competitors? After you invest, implement proper employee training to extend the equipment’s lifespan.

Schedule Some Time Out

You may think working for eight hours straight is the best way to knock out a to-do list. However, research indicates that taking regular breaks boosts productivity and mental endurance. During one study of four groups that worked on tasks for 50 minutes, the one that took the most breaks had the highest stamina at the end.

Taking time away from work is essential for higher energy, concentration, efficiency and creativity. Experts say you should take a break every 50 to 90 minutes, stepping away from your workload for a quarter of an hour. Get away from the screens—all of them—and take a stroll around the office.

Learn When to Say No

As a business owner or decision-maker, you want to do it all—but that’s impossible. You’ll overfill your plate and stress yourself out. And when you’re exhausted, you can’t perform at your best. Saying no isn’t something negative—it’s a way to protect valuable resources and your reputation.

Use this short phrase when the scope of your work gets too big or if a project doesn’t add value to your organization. Be firm and confident with your response. Otherwise, you lose control and credibility. People can sense weakness and will try to exploit it.

Start an Exercise Routine

If you’re feeling pressure from all the responsibility on your shoulders, it’s wise to develop an exercise routine. Physical activity reduces the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, allowing you to relax and feel calm. Regular workouts also stimulate endorphin production—feel-good chemicals that counter depression and anxiety.

If you don’t currently exercise, start slow and don’t push yourself. Try a simple cardiovascular activity, like walking or running. You can also lift weights for strength conditioning, targeting each of the major muscle groups. Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day.

Remember to Sleep

Running a business often requires long hours. If you don’t get enough rest, however, you’re doing yourself a disservice. In the short term, sleep deprivation affects judgment, mood, and your ability to learn and retain information. It may also increase your risk of accident or injury, especially if you work around heavy machinery. In the long term, it can raise health concerns like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. To get quality rest, try to rid your bedroom of distractions, such as TVs, smartphones, and computers. Instead, read a book or listen to relaxing music. You can also try journaling about your day.

Running a Business? Learn How to Reduce Stress

Running a business is a lot of work. While there’s bound to be some stress, it doesn’t have to be constant. Instead, follow the advice above. From automating tasks to saying no, you can take control of your organization and achieve success.