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As an entrepreneur, you undoubtedly handle various aspects of your daily operations yourself: relationships with suppliers and customers, employee management, product launches, marketing, finances, growth, and other business activities, and so on.
But that’s not all; you are certainly making efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle, take care of your well-being, and likely have family responsibilities, as well as monthly bills and credits to manage. It’s not easy to juggle all of this.
How do you navigate this? Where do you draw the line?
Recognizing that many E-commerce entrepreneurs need more frequent rejuvenation, we’ve decided to create this article to provide practical stress-reduction tips supported by scientific studies and common sense.
Now that we have your attention, let’s get started:
1. Personalize Your Workspace
Who would have thought that photos of friends and family, plants, motivational quotes, artwork, screensavers, wallpapers, and other elements could enhance your productivity?
A recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology showed that personalizing a shared or open workspace can reduce distraction and emotional fatigue, even in the absence of apparent privacy.
In other words, by personalizing your work environment, you can lower your stress levels and accomplish more.
2. Focus on One Task at a Time
Multitasking is counterproductive. In 2009, researchers at Stanford University asked 262 college students to participate in three experiments involving task-switching, random information analysis, and memorization, with the explicit assumption that multitasking participants would outperform those working on one task at a time.
The results revealed that multitasking subjects were highly unproductive in all three experiments. Even worse, researchers found that habitual multitaskers used their brains much less efficiently when trying to focus on a single task compared to individuals accustomed to single-tasking.
So, consider adopting what one researcher called the “20-minute rule.” Instead of working on multiple projects simultaneously, dedicate 20 minutes to a specific task before moving on to the next. It’s a great starting point to break the unproductive habit.
3. Take Time to Meditate
There is a new generation of meditation-obsessed entrepreneurs, and many studies support the idea that meditation helps individuals cope with stress.
One particular study involving 45 human resource managers conducted by scientists from the University of Washington and the University of Arizona tested the benefits of meditation on stress management.
Thirty out of the 45 participants received 8 weeks of meditation training; 15 of them focused on mental relaxation exercises, and the other 15 on body relaxation exercises. The remaining 15 participants did not engage in any meditation practice. The results? Those who best managed their stress during multitasking tests were the ones who participated in mental relaxation meditation practices.
4. Get Enough Sleep
We’ve all heard that getting 8 hours of sleep per night is crucial. In reality, the ideal number of hours varies depending on age, ranging from three to eleven hours. However, consistently not getting enough sleep will result in decreased concentration, energy, and alertness.
In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, subjects who were limited to 4.5 hours of sleep per night for a full week reported higher levels of stress, anger, sadness, and mental fatigue. When they returned to a normal sleep pattern, their mood greatly improved. Therefore, determine the number of hours of sleep that works best for you and stick to it.
5. Incorporate Exercise
Adding regular physical activity to your routine can be highly beneficial for managing your entrepreneurial responsibilities.
According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise increases endorphin levels, improving mood, productivity, sleep (see tip 4), and stress management. This is especially true in today’s workplace environments where most tasks are performed sitting down.
Find ways to incorporate physical activities into your daily routine; you could take the stairs more often or park farther from the office to walk more.
6. Use Email Less
You might be surprised to learn that, on average, professionals spend 23% of their work time checking and sending emails.
This statistic led researchers at the University of California to conduct a study in which five employees were deprived of email usage. Heart rate monitors were attached to their chests, and their online activity was tracked. Unsurprisingly, the results showed that these employees were less stressed, stayed focused on individual tasks for longer, and completely stopped multitasking.
7. Plan Ahead
As a business owner, you’re likely making decisions left and right. However, researchers have long observed that we have a limited reservoir of cognitive resources when it comes to decision-making. Therefore, it’s better to reserve these resources for the most important decisions.
This is one of the reasons why prominent CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg choose to wear the same attire every day; it’s one less decision to make.
Researchers at Stanford University found that we have a limited decision-making capacity and willpower. In a study, students were asked to memorize either a 2-digit number or a 7-digit number (a more challenging task) and then choose between a chocolate cake and a bowl of fruit. Students who memorized the more challenging 7-digit number were 50% more likely to opt for the chocolate cake because their willpower had already been taxed during the memorization task.
In other words, plan as many tasks as possible to reduce mental clutter, allowing you to make smarter business decisions when it matters most.
8. Disconnect More Often
Numerous studies have shown that our increasingly digitalized lifestyle, in addition to making us overly reliant on technology, can lead to stress, depressive episodes, and sleep problems.
Social media can also contribute to feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and boredom.
Add to that the fact that we are constantly connected to our mobile devices even in the late afternoon, preventing our brains from fully recovering from the workday and preparing for the next.
Disconnect and enjoy the simple pleasures of real life more often.
Do you already use some of these stress management tips to run your business more effectively? Are there other practices you would recommend to fellow entrepreneurs? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Further reads that can be helpful to improve your workflow as an entrepreneur:
16 ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR GOOD MANAGEMENT OF YOUR BUSINESS
The 9 Most Profitable Artificial Intelligence Professions in 2023
