We all want our businesses to work for us. We put long hours in and hope the benefits appear in sales, customer retention and a great reputation for a quality service or product. Sometimes it is easy just to focus on work as your key priority, and this could lead to burn-out, stress, and other issues. It’s not a healthy situation for you, or your #business.
So, just ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you work more than 70 hours a week?
- Do you take on extra work or tend not to delegate because you are concerned that it won’t otherwise get done?
- Does your work dominate every conversation?
- Do you schedule meetings or call employees after work hours to discuss projects?
- Have your long hours impacted negatively on your family or other work relationships?
- Do you take work with you to bed? On weekends? On holiday?
- Do you get impatient with people who have other priorities besides work?
- Do you get irritated when people ask you to stop doing your work in order to do something else? If you answered ‘yes’ to more than two of the questions, please consider the following to help you
- Set Achievable Boundaries for Yourself:
After work hours, leave your iPad, iPhone, etc. in the car, or turn them off. If you must check your work email, limit your log-ins to just one to check for any priority messages. Try to eat lunch away from your workspace, and don’t bring project work on holiday with you.
- Reframe your Personal Identity:
At social events, practice introducing yourself and conversing without talking about your job or work.
- Keep a Log of your Routine:
Keep a journal or log of your daily work and personal activities. Evaluate your journal once a week and look for work-life imbalances. Identify areas of your life you may need to dedicate more time to.
- Change Your Thinking:
Challenge your current thoughts about what is causing you to have a preoccupation with work. Is it because you think you will fail in running your business if you don’t put in enough effort? Do you feel a need to prove your abilities? Change your thoughts to be more positive and less worried or concerned.
It makes sense. We all want our businesses to succeed, so if you look after yourself as a priority, then that will surely help your energy levels, your thinking capacity and decision-making skills, which can only help the success of your business!