After many late nights staring at glowing fluorescent screens, drinking bottomless cups of coffee, and making endless to-do lists, it’s no wonder many entrepreneurs often find themselves burning out within months of taking the plunge into the world of startups.
While a rewarding career, the life of an entrepreneur can be crazy and stress inducing at times. I learned early on with my startup, GiftStarter.com, that it’s vital to not only take care of your employees and customers but also take care of yourself. After all, the startup journey is truly a marathon. My best advice is below.
Create a Daily Ritual
It’s so important to include certain rituals throughout your day. I do some reading every morning and every evening. Morning means taking the time to breathe and read about what’s going on in the universe. As evening rolls around, I look forward to another break to slow down, read, and learn from others in the industry.
Outsource and Delegate
It’s impossible to do everything. That’s why I love using services like FancyHands and RedButler for administrative tasks. Outsourcing services have helped me with everything from sending flowers to data entry. As an entrepreneur, your time is limited. Focusing on the overall strategy and delegating other tasks will help you accomplish goals much faster.
Trust Your Team
One thing I love about my team is that I can trust them to accomplish projects with minimal involvement. Having a strong team has helped us scale and create something wonderful. If you don’t trust someone, don’t hire them. If you no longer trust them, kick them off the bus.
Let Others Help
This took me a while to learn. I first had to learn to let go. As a new mother, I have learned to trust my parents-in-law and mother to help take care of our baby. Raising a child while running a startup means countless hours of planning, love and work. I’ve learned to let people know when I could use a hand (or two) and am always eager to help those who need assistance themselves.
Sleep, Sleep and Sleep More
For me, sleep is precious and everything falls apart without it. Every night, I try my very best to get a full night of rest that will leave me collected and energized for the following day. I prioritize sleep to help keep my sanity, health and calm daily.
Though our days may be filled with investor meetings, employees check-ins, presentations and endless other tasks, we can power through by giving it our best each day and not feeling bad if sometimes, we must slow down. Avoiding burnout will keep your startup happy, your customers happy, you happy, and most importantly, your family happy.
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Image credit: CC by Alan Cleaver