The stress burn-out rates for our small business owners, middle and upper management personnel is frightening and critically disturbing.
Among these administrative and business positions, we have a high rate of divorce, stress, anxiety, depression and related health issues. We all understand the pressures on business owners and management, yet they continue to drive themselves hard to ensure that bottom line is met or improved and often at the expense of themselves and their family.
How then can we ensure that people in this area take a moment to consider themselves, their family and their health without compromising their business, career and required outcomes.
Burn-out is debilitating, it affects your body, you mind, emotions, logic, relationships and productivity. There is nothing positive about burn-out. Management is often so concerned about their team, how staff are performing, their personal health and efficiency, all of which is commendable to ensure the organisation runs at optimum however who looks after the management while they are so concerned about everything and everyone else?
Part of the management role is to look after staff, productivity, output. Notice you come last. This is because of how we usually place ourself, usually last. What then would happen to the business if you fall or fail to function at an optimum level? Maybe the business would continue but not as well as if you were heading the team with all guns blazing so to speak. So you are the pivotal point to the business, and this pivotal point must be acknowledged, respected and needs to care for them self.
How then can any small business owner or manager look after them self to allay any negative result and continue to ensure their business or organisation continues at peak efficiency?
Here are a few tips to assist you manage and cope. To improve your work life and relationships as when a relationship, with colleagues or family, suffer, you will be driven down and certainly not work at optimum, for anyone. Our time management skills often need fine tuning so we can afford ourself and our business the right amount of allocated time while ensuring we too have that time to enjoy our life and loved ones.
- Learn to say ‘Not Now’
This is not a no and many of us have difficulty saying no, hence we continue to take on way too much and usually all at once. When we say ‘not now’, we are saying I can help or attend to it at a more convenient or appropriate time and hopefully after you have tried to sort the issue and only come back if you can’t.
- Delegate
We all understand how great you are but when we are unable to delegate we are weakening as a manager. Management must train and delegate to ensure efficiency. The more staff that are trained and capable, the better the business usually runs. Yes, naturally time is required to teach others however if you take those small steps to empower staff it ‘s incredible how they can feel inspired and step to the next level. This can then take some pressure off you.
- Carry a notebook
We can have ideas jump into our heads anywhere at anytime. Trying to remember that brilliant idea an hour later may result in it vanishing into your brain abyss. Any great idea, write it down, if not in a small notebook, then on your phone which is likely always in your pocket.
- Do some physical activity
We always function better if we have some outside time. Walk, go for a swim, ride a bike anything for about 15 min a day is sufficient to release those feel good endorphins into our brain, clear our mind, stimulate our body and allow us to burn excess frustrations. Even a 10 min walk at lunch time can free your body and mind for the afternoon ahead.
- Adjust your focus
When you get home, you must leave your manager hat in the office. As soon as you walk through your door at home, you become wife or husband, mum or dad. This is your homework station, and this means to allocate time to those you care for and love. Talk to them about their day, what is going on, how they are. Open up those communication lines, and everyone feels noticed, appreciated and valued. Leave your work hat at work or in the office.
- Turn off phone at allocated times
Always allocate some phone-off time. When at lunch and most certainly when at dinner with the family select some time to switch off the phone. When sitting at the family table or helping your child with their sport, activities or homework focus on them, and you will all benefit.
- Block out time to attend to specific jobs
We are often so overwhelmed with ‘things’ we must do. Arrange a calendar or daily run sheet and follow it. Writing down things you need to do, meetings to attend, appointments, jobs, all in a diary. I say diary as when we write it down, then read it back we are using our visual, audio and kinesthetic senses. It makes us accountable, and we follow it more conclusively.
- Have a zero meeting day each week
One day a week should be meeting free, and it can be. This way you can attend to more duties without needing to stop, be interrupted and go somewhere or adjust mindset. It enables you to have a full structured day of achievement.
- Allocate 5 min each day to stay in contact
Take just a few minutes each day to call someone. It maybe your partner, an older child, a friend or parent. Just a few minutes to allow you to keep in touch with your outside world. We can get so submerged in your work; it takes over our life. By taking just a few minutes a day to stop, call-in and chat will do wonders for your psychological and emotional health.
- Set you daily planner for one hour of uninterrupted time a day
No knocks on the door, no calls answered, no arguments to dissolve. They can all wait 60 minutes. The world won’t stop or crash down. That one hour can allow you to concentrate and achieve more than three or five hours of interrupted time.
All successful people have a life coach. These coaches enable you to unload, communicate issues both personal and business, enable you to gain a clear perspective, reframe to obtain a different viewpoint and assist you should understand what pressures you have each day and successfully enable you to regain your power, direction and life. They can assist you to redefine and strengthen your relationships with partner, family and work colleagues. When we are more balanced and less stressed our productivity level rises significantly, everything gets better.
Doesn’t everyone then need a good Life Coach? Yes, you certainly do.
You deserve to be the best you can be; your family and business deserve this too. Read full featured article in Business Business Magazine
Read more at Dr Karen Phillip – Australia’s leading Lifestyle Doctor or contact her for advice and presentations in your workplace.
