Entrepreneurs have a huge responsibility to manage time, projects and expectations, among other things; such responsibilities tend to become exacerbated during the holiday season with added stress from all sides, and of course, a crunch for time. Consequently, it’s important for entrepreneurs to create guidelines and implement best practices early to help alleviate problems and create necessary balance. Below, I’ve included tips for doing so:
Set Specific Working Hours and Off Days: Working for yourself means you get to decide your own hours. It could be 9am-5pm or 1am-4am, or both. Because many entrepreneurs fail to create specific work hours, it’s difficult to create a work-life balance. This should be a goal for day-to-day business, though it may not always be feasible, given that business owners wear many hats and usually work longer hours than average. Nevertheless, developing this habit makes it easier to schedule time off for the holidays, making it easier to spend time with family and relax. Set yourself up for success by grasping this concept early and managing your time to be able to stick to it.
Communicate: Once you have a set schedule (or special schedule), be sure to communicate it to your clients/customers. A lot of people have off during the holidays, and a lot of people do not. Your clients may not share the same customs or knowledge about holidays as you. Therefore, it’s never safe to assume that time off will be understood if it’s not clearly expressed. Use email, social media and other online tools through which you communicate with customers to inform them of your plans, and update them as the time draws closer. People forget.
Unplug: Entrepreneurs are workaholics. It makes sense. After all, it takes a special kind of person to be able to take an idea and turn it into a successful business. Nevertheless, in order to maintain that ingenuity and drive, it’s important to actually take time off. This is different than merely scheduling time off in that it requires actually using the allotted time as intended. This is probably difficult for many business owners, but again, it’s helps if you establish this practice early.
Stress for business owners is inevitable. There’s always something to be done and you’re often the person to do it. However, in that same vein, it’s important to take care of yourself to ensure long term success and growth. Working hard will bring many benefits and establish good relationships; working smart, including knowing when to take time off, will help you maintain them.
