We recently talked about the importance of wellness for entrepreneurs and their businesses. Today, let’s talk about how to boost well-being as an entrepreneur! What can you do today to improve your wellness?
Many of our tips for managing work-related stress can be helpful to entrepreneurs as well as employees. Practicing mindfulness, taking breaks, and getting enough sleep, for example, can help everyone. Entrepreneurs are also lucky because they are often answering their callings and doing work they really want to do. There are a few key research findings, specific to entrepreneurs that we want to highlight for all of you superstar bosses out there!
Detaching From Work
Entrepreneurs generally work longer hours than most employed individuals. They are working hard to get their new baby businesses up and running. While employees are less satisfied with their jobs if they have to work long hours, entrepreneurs feel the opposite! They are actually more satisfied with their work when they have to put in long hours. Researchers think that entrepreneurs equate long hours with business success. If you have a lot of clients, you probably have to put in a lot more hours than if you only have one!
There is a catch though! Long hours can obviously lead to exhaustion. The key to warding off that exhaustion is detaching from work. When entrepreneurs can successfully disconnect from their work, long hours don’t have a negative impact on their well-being. Entrepreneurs that can’t detach tend to see more physical and mental exhaustion.
If you are an entrepreneur, don’t worry if you have to work long hours sometimes! It’s the name of the game. Katina and I do it all the time. But when you aren’t working, make sure you completely disconnect. Fully engage in your activities during your time off and don’t let work distract you. Relax and enjoy whatever makes you happy outside of work! Disconnecting will let you feel refreshed when you have to face another long day.
Work Retreats
Entrepreneurs can benefit from taking vacations and escaping from their work life a bit just like everyone else. Interestingly, in addition to full vacations, a work retreat can be particularly beneficial for entrepreneurs. A work retreat in this context is taking your work and doing it elsewhere, preferably out of your hectic life and somewhere more peaceful, rural, and with a slower pace. Entrepreneurs see reduced stress and exhaustion when they take a week to work in a new and calm environment!
Katina and I actually used this tactic very successfully when launching Workr Beeing. Of course it was nice to meet up and do work in person, but we definitely benefited from escaping from our normal routine. These types of retreats encourage entrepreneurs to slow down a bit and remove the stress of other responsibilities. You are away from all of your other chores and can just focus on your passion project. You feel super productive and rested when you return to your normal life. Personally, I think this is an awesome tip that I hope to take more advantage of in the future!
Support
Finally, we know that support at work is important. But entrepreneurs are not always surrounded by coworkers. Some entrepreneurs are solo business owners and are doing everything on their own. Regardless of the situation, it is incredibly important for entrepreneurs to build a strong support system. Those support systems help stop burnout, which is critical for successful new business owners to avoid!
If you are a solo entrepreneur, make sure you are leveraging friends, family, and mentors when you need support. If you are lucky to have a co-founder or a small team, create the expectation that you are each other’s supporters. Make sure, however, you have other people in your life to support you both so you aren’t over relying on one person! Sometimes you just need to vent about something that just happened or you want to share exciting news. Make sure you find those people you can turn to during exciting, stressful, and important moments of your journey.
In sum, if you are an entrepreneur, it is important for you to focus on your own well-being and there are a few unique things you need to consider like building a support system, taking some good work retreats, and fully detaching from your business.
Now it’s your turn! Have you done these things successfully? What other tips do you have to help you focus on your wellness? We can’t wait to hear from you!
