Note: This post has been guest authored by Grace Wilmer, who is a tech writer based in New Orleans. She’s also a huge health nut who loves researching the latest developments in science.
As a tech entrepreneur – or any kind of entrepreneur, really – you will no doubt deal with stress. Whether you’re a startup working as a one-person show, or a small to medium-sized business, or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, stress is part of the job description.
1. Delegate
There are only 24 hours in a day for all of us, no matter what. One person can only do so much and attempting to do too much can quickly lead to stress and burnout.
Building a small team of trusted colleagues to help you take care of daily tasks or outsourcing the things you do not know how to do well keeps business growing and running smoothly while helping you achieve a better work-life balance.
2. Take Breaks
For optimal productivity, take regular breaks. It may be tempting to skip your lunch break, but studies show that these are much more important than most people realize. Breaks, particularly your lunch break, are vital in helping you destress and recharge yourself to make it through the rest of your day.
Stepping away from your desk, even for just a few moments, helps you gain energy and focus. Taking that lunch break can prevent the mid-afternoon slump where you’re not really productive at all.
3. Follow a Healthy Lifestyle
If you want to be at your best, provide your body with a nutritious balanced diet and get exercise. When your body gets the fuel it needs, you’ll have more energy and sleep better. When you’re constantly running on caffeine, you’ll eventually have a crash, which leaves you feeling worse than you did before you had that extra cup of joe.
Eat a light breakfast before work, take your lunch break, and keep some healthy snacks at your desk to munch on between breakfast and lunch. Avoid the temptation of spending money on going out to lunch every day – you can make something healthier and enjoy more of your break time. Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot of it going to and from the restaurant and drive-through, forcing you to scarf your food down in a hurry – which won’t help you feel at the top of your game.
Invest in a high-quality mattress. Your sleep matters greatly to your overall health and productivity. For even better results, opt for a 100% non-toxic hypoallergenic mattress so you don’t have to worry about allergies.
If you’re really stressed out and feel it in your muscles, invest in a massage. It can help take the edge off and serves as an effective way to reduce pain, muscle tension, and stress. If the idea of making another appointment and traveling adds to your stress, consider booking a therapist to come to your home or office at a time you choose.
You can also try yoga, meditation, and working with a professional therapist to help you learn coping techniques that will help you address your stress in healthy ways.
4. Use CBD Products to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
The best CBD oil has been shown in multiple studies to help relieve stress and anxiety. Though it is related to THC and marijuana, it does not contain any THC, so you can get the relaxing benefits of cannabis without the “high.”
Penguin offers CBD gummies and other products that contain 0% THC.
5. Listen to Your Body
Your body will provide you with plenty of signals to let you know when it is time to rest and relax. If you ignore those signals and keep pushing through anyway, you run the risk of landing yourself in the hospital or getting sick. When and if this happens, you’ll create more stress by thinking about all the things you should or could be doing while your body attempts to rest and repair itself.
If your back hurts from sitting at your desk for too long, get up and take a couple of laps around your desk. And if your stomach growls, either have a snack or a meal. Failure to address those issues will cause distractions that will hamper your productivity.
6. Aim for Work/Life Balance
Work/life balance is something many of us struggle with yet remains one of our top priorities. If you’re working to get a new tech off the ground, it can be hard to step away from work to take time for yourself and your family.
The largest tech companies out there, including Google, Facebook, and Netflix, all aim to help their employees achieve a better work-life balance by offering numerous perks – one of which is unlimited vacation time.
While you may not be able to afford to take off whenever you feel like you need a break, it’s absolutely imperative to your well-being, (which needs to be in good shape for the best interest of your company) to create balance in all things.
Set a schedule for yourself, and when you’ve reached the end of your day, walk away from all things work. If you work from home, do your best to set up a separate designated work area that you can close the door and avoid during your “off” hours. If you do not have a spare room and find yourself working from the dining room table, turn off your computer and put it away at the end of your workday.
Find things to do outside of work. Take up a new hobby, such as photography, hiking, gardening, or painting. Look at Meetup to find local groups in your area where you can meet people. Connect with these people to make friends outside of work, but don’t discount the possibility that these people may also be supporters of your business.
7. Take a Vacation
Sometimes, just clocking out every day and aiming to do things outside of work isn’t enough to really recover from burnout.
Even if you just take a long weekend and drive somewhere a couple of hours away from home, make it a point to take a vacation once a year. Use the time to relax and unwind – and consider unplugging from technology and all things work-related for the duration.
8. Keep on Top of Finances
Money is stressful for many of us, even in the personal arena. It can be even more so when you’re just getting started with a business.
To keep yourself from getting stressed out by a surprise financial situation that has the potential to wreak havoc, do your best to stay aware of your current financial status every day.
