Managing Stress While Running a Business

It’s no secret…running a business has a lot of perks, but it’s also very stressful! Juggling marketing and sales on top of quality writing time, client calls, and taking care of my team – all while working around an infant’s nap schedule – is no easy task!

It can be…a lot.

If you are finding yourself struggling with managing your stress on this entrepreneurial journey, here are some of my favorite tips to keep myself feeling calm and collected.

Implement a Project Management System

This one has been huge in keeping everything organized and flowing behind the scenes. 

When I was a one-woman show, it was somewhat easy to keep track of all of my clients and tasks. But as I started to grow and onboard more team members, we needed a way to keep us all on the same page.

That’s why I swear by the project management system, Asana. It has been a key resource with the Emily Writes team to keep the lines of communication open while successfully hitting all of our deadlines and continually crafting quality deliverables.

Establish Clear Working Boundaries

It can be easy to let your work pour over into your home life, especially when you work from home. One thing I learned quickly is that establishing a clear work schedule is important to keeping my sanity intact.

My working hours are listed directly in my email signature. I do this so that my clients and team members always know when I’m working. I also always make sure to use my out-of-office response whenever I am going to be away for a longer period of time. 

People will respect your boundaries if you set them clearly. The problems arise when you don’t establish your schedule upfront. After all, people can’t respect boundaries if they don’t know they exist!

Use Your Work Time Wisely

Working in social media can be so rewarding, but it can also be a huge distraction if you aren’t careful. 

One of the things that works well for me is the Pomodoro Method. This time management method is when you use a timer to break your work down into easily digestible chunks.

When I know I have to write a blog or come up with social media topics, I will set a timer on my computer for 25 minutes and only allow myself to work on that specific project during that time.

This helps to keep me focused and aligned with my project at hand, while ignoring the other distractions that social media work can bring.

Silence notifications for all your apps or put your phone on airplane mode during this time to do more to cut out distractions.

Declutter Your Mind

Writing requires so much brain energy. I can’t write my best copy when my brain is cluttered with a million other thoughts.

I combat this by starting my day with a brain dump session. After I read my emails every morning, I take 5-10 minutes to just write down anything that is floating around in my mind. 

And I mean anything. Outstanding tasks, random thoughts, things I want to do with my family. I write down anything that is taking space in my brain, stressing me out, and draining my energy.

Once it’s written down, it’s out of my mind, my stress levels are lower, and I’m ready to get to work!

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