Four Ways to Launch a Business (Without Losing Your Mind)

_____

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

____

I loved producing health, wellness, and lifestyle segments with a range of top experts while working on network TV for the first twenty years of my career.?

But I love working for myself more.?

Crossing over from TV to entrepreneurship required some workflow adjustments. What worked well for me in the newsroom, didn’t seamlessly translate to my new career and lifestyle.

The key to productivity is all about finding what works for you. And reassessing those methods as major changes occur. As our lives change, so must our lists!?

Here are a few ways to help you be less stressed when you’re launching a business.

1) Build some boundaries.?

My life used to be more clear cut when working at Fox News. During the day I was a news producer and at night I was a productivity expert and media consultant.?

But when I started working for myself exclusively, everything merged together a bit more. (It’s not easy to avoid the fatal error of list mixing .)

Working for yourself means having to be more clear cut with your time. I allocate time slots to specific projects and others to free time. And I hold myself to that schedule. During free time, I’m not working. And during my scheduled special project hours, I am.

I put tasks from my list in my calendar so I follow that more closely now. This way I don’t accidentally end up working all day long.

_____

If you’re struggling with setting and keeping boundaries, join me for my LinkedIn Learning course “How to Set Boundaries and Protect Your Time.”

____

2) Be honest about how long tasks take.

When you work for yourself it’s tempting to try and get all your work out the way so you can ‘clock out’ nice and early.?

But tasks take longer than expected. That’s just how it is.?

Trying to cram too much into your schedule is stressful. Which defeats the whole point of an early finish. It’s important to let things take time and work to your natural schedule.?

Plus the truth is, there will always be more to do! So take the time you need to get each task done correctly. It will be less stressful and you’ll still accomplish what you need to.

3) Know your productivity style.

It’s important for everyone to know their productivity style, but this is especially true for entrepreneurs.?

I like getting up early to dilly dally – not to do work! I’ve always been like that. I ease into my day and get to work by at least 10 AM. I work for a few hours and then take a break for lunch.?

If you know that you tend to be sluggish right after lunch you can block that time out in your calendar. Work better late at night? Great! You don’t need to be an early bird to be an entrepreneur. Being honest about yourself and your habits is crucial!

And once you’ve set the schedule that works best for you, get to know how you accomplish tasks. Gretchen Rubin has a great book called The Four Tendencies , which can help you get to know yourself through your productivity personality. You can learn more about Gretchen and her book in my recent interview with her on LinkedIn Live where we discussed “Resetting Our Work Habits in the Future of Work.”?

(I’m an “Upholder.” Find out which productivity personality type you are here .)

_____

Do you find yourself choosing short-term rewards over your long-term goals? Find out how to avoid that by joining me for the next episode of my live-streaming show, Inside Scoop , “Long-Term Thinking in a Short-Term World” with special guest Dorie Clark.

____

4) Take. Breaks.?

I mentioned scheduling free time into your day before. But I’m saying it again because it’s that important. And because it’s hard to do.

As we all learned in the past almost two years, when you work from home it’s tempting to be in ‘work mode’ all the time. Weekdays and weekends can all blur into one. But this isn’t sustainable.?

It’s important to switch off every once in a while. (That email really can wait until tomorrow. Seriously.)?

Set an alarm to go off reminding you to take your break. Or don’t schedule meetings on Fridays. Take a yoga class in the middle of the day. Or meet friends for lunch.?

You are the backbone of your business. A healthy, less stressed you, means a healthy, budding business!

_____

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

____