Can You Unplug From the Digital World?

Does it feel like you’ve been working every waking second since the lockdown started?

Many entrepreneurs like you felt overworked and burned out before the pandemic began.?57% of small business owners?reported working 50-60 hours, often including nights and weekends.

If you run a health and wellness business, you can’t help your clients if your own fuel tank is empty. You likely feel the urge to unplug from technology and recharge your batteries, but how can you do that and continue to run your business?

You may not be able to disappear into the woods for a month, but there are small steps you can take to reduce the time you spend in the digital world.

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Read on for 4 ideas you can use today.

1. Automate & Schedule What You Can

You can use an array of tools to automate different features of your business. From social media to email campaigns, automation tools can help you streamline your schedule.

Set up an automatic response to go out when someone contacts you via email or messenger. Inform them that you’ve received their inquiry and will be in touch during regular business hours.

Set up some social media posts that can be automated when your audience is most active online.?

Rather than promoting your website daily, why not write your?wellness blog content?in one large batch and then schedule them to post throughout the month??

Analyze where you spend the most time on your business. Some of these items might not be negotiable, and you will have to show up now, but other items might not require your immediate attention, and you can automate them. This will vary from business to business. These are just three examples of automation ideas that can free up some time for you.

2. Set Clear Parameters on Business Hours

You may need to work more than you anticipated, especially in the early days of your startup.

But when it comes to communication with your staff or clients, you’ve to set boundaries on when you’re available—and when you’re not. Responding to emails at midnight or spending your weekends replying to text messages is a sure way to suffer from digital burnout.

Aside from a true emergency, everyone should know exactly which days and hours when it’s okay to contact you. Otherwise, business can wait.

3. Limit Communication to One Channel

Just because there are 50 different ways to stay in touch doesn’t mean you must use them all. Trying to juggle social media, emails, text messages, Slack, Zoom, and Asana will quickly overwhelm you.

Instead, pick?one?way to communicate with your employees and clients and stick to it.?

4. Embrace Airplane Mode

Before the lockdown began,?28% of Americans?admitted to being online “almost constantly.” That percentage has surely skyrocketed in recent months!

When outside business hours, set aside time to switch off all your devices (or at least place them into airplane mode). Even if it’s just an hour or two each evening, this will give your mind and body the chance it needs to detox.

It’s also the perfect opportunity to spend time in nature with your family and friends or focus on your health. After all, shouldn’t a wellness entrepreneur establish the time to take some of their own advice?

Need Help Running Your Wellness Business?

Running a health and wellness business is impossible if you’re neglecting your own well-being. You may not be able to unplug entirely, but the tips above can help you regain your balance.

Automate what you can, and set limits on when you’re available. Reduce your communication with staff and clients to one channel. And be sure to regularly schedule a time to switch everything “off” and recharge your own batteries.

Once you’re back from your digital detox, what’s next??

Original article posted on First Fig Marketing & Consulting.