4 Tips for Getting Back Up when Life Knocks You Down
When life happens, entrepreneurs don’t have the option to call in sick or ask for some time off. Whether you’re sick, have suffered a business setback, or just having a really bad day, an entrepreneur can’t usually just walk away for a period of time without damaging their business. But just because you’re self-employed doesn’t mean that you don’t still need some mental breaks. If you ignore problems and push through, it will eventually catch up with you.
Here are 4 simple tips for entrepreneurs to get that well deserved break we all need from time to time.
1. Small Steps
Owning and running your own business that serves as the financial lifeline for you, your family and possibly employees can be overwhelming at times. When you’re dealing with problems – within your business or outside – taking a step back and dissecting the issue into smaller steps can greatly alleviate the pressure on any situation.
If you’ve got a few big projects on your plate, don’t try and attack them all at once – you’ll go berserk. Plot out to begin one of those projects each day of the week, or maybe once a month. Break down the massive banquet of responsibilities into manageable plates. You’ll be much more likely to complete everything, and complete it effectively.
2. Just Do the Basics
This just might not be the best time to take on all of those extra projects that you can realistically deem, not absolutely necessary. Sometimes you have to just come in and just get the basics covered to get through the day. This option may sound pretty gloomy, but if you allow yourself a week or so to just squeak by, you’ll likely regain that entrepreneurial momentum you need to come running back into the office on Monday revitalized.
3. Take or Plan a Vacation
Of course when things get tough, the first thought is fight or flight. A personal favorite after enough brutal rounds of fighting is a vacation far away from it all. Realistically though, if we could just take a vacation at the drop of a hat we likely would be doing that far more often anyway. A ‘staycation’ can be the next best thing. Plan a night away at a hotel and just soak in the Jacuzzi without your cell phone. If time away is just impossible, planning a big vacation worth looking forward to can often have nearly the same effect. Book a non-refundable deposit on a room somewhere so there are no excuses once the time comes! It’s actually GOOD to take vacations!
4. Re-Group and Dive-In
Sometimes the best medicine is to re-evaluate what you’re doing and what you’re doing it for in order to best devise a new plan of attack. Tear apart your day-to-day and see where you can cut the fat. You may even want to peruse the competition and see what you may want to emulate or avoid. Then jump back in there and make it happen!
There should be no regretful feelings about needing a breather every once in awhile. Being an entrepreneur is a tough job – arguably even more deserving of a break than most!
