When your dream business becomes a reality, it can be both exciting and stressful. In those early stages, you’re the head of every department, but you’re also eager to push your company forward.
On top of work, you also have your personal life to maintain. There’s certainly a lot for an entrepreneur to juggle, which can impact your health and wellbeing. So, what’s the answer?
In this blog, a leading company formation agent in the UK, Rapid Formations, explores seven simple ways that busy business owners can maintain their mental and physical wellbeing.
Be sure to sleep well
First and foremost, sleep is essential to your wellbeing. As adults, we can often forget just how important sleep is, thinking our time could be put to much better use. But this is the prime time for your body and mind to recharge.
And it doesn’t take a lot for your wellbeing to take a nosedive due to bad sleep. In fact, Zoe, the health and science platform, explains that just one or two nights of poor sleep can have serious effects on your mental and physical health.
More specifically, lack of sleep can make you more susceptible to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. You’re also at a heightened risk of depression and burnout, a common problem affecting more than a third of the UK’s entrepreneurs.
Sleep is like food – it’s essential for us to function effectively. Without enough good-quality sleep, you’re simply ill-equipped to perform and succeed.
In contrast, if you’re well rested, you’re far more likely to feel sharp, focused, energised, and positive – just some of the key wellbeing components your business thrives on.
Take power naps
Sticking to the sleep theme, if you need more rest but struggle to rearrange your routine to fit it in, an alternative option to improve and maintain your wellbeing to take power naps.
Interestingly, we don’t always need 8 hours of sleep to feel the effects of good-quality rest – a 15 to 30-minute power nap could be all you need to feel refreshed and energised without feeling grouchy afterwards.
Power naps are a flexible way to get your vital rest without compromise, especially if you work from home. For instance, if you have a clear 30 minutes in the afternoon, why not have a quick kip?
You don’t necessarily need to move your schedule around to maintain your wellbeing. Instead, try power naps when you have a small gap in your diary. However, the trick is not to take them too late in the day as they could disrupt your nighttime sleep.
Delegate tasks
If you really struggle to find time for yourself and your wellbeing, you should delegate some of your tasks (low-priority ones, ones you’re not overly passionate about, or ones that you’re simply not knowledgeable about) to a colleague.
For example, if you need to spend the day researching the best social media management tools for small businesses or if you need to schedule or move some meetings, ask a suitable team member to help you out.
Don’t have any employees yet? Ask a friend or member to lend a hand. Alternatively, many business tasks can be outsourced. You may be reluctant to spend the money on this, but if doing so frees you up to look after your wellbeing, then it’s a worthwhile expense.
If you need help with administrative tasks, you could try a virtual PA, such as Bizik. For other, more specific jobs, Fiverr is a great place to find experienced and affordable freelancers.
Stick to a strict schedule
It’s vital to create and stick to a strict schedule to maintain long-term wellbeing. While it’s tempting to dedicate all your time and energy to your baby (a.k.a. your business), you need to set clear boundaries between home and work and protect your personal time.
Remember, your business can only grow if you (and your team, if you have one) are happy and healthy. So, by jeopardising your wellbeing, your company’s future could suffer.
We know this is easier said than done for a small business owner, but simply be honest and realistic with yourself when planning your time. What are your non-negotiables? Maybe it’s family time. And what can you be more flexible with? Maybe you can move that morning run to the evening or the weekend.
Whatever works for you, create a sustainable schedule that features both work and play and stick to it religiously. This way, you can focus on the task at hand without any distractions and ensure that your wellbeing gets adequate attention.
Listen to your body
Our bodies are incredibly clever. When something’s not right, they’ll let us know. To look after your wellbeing as a busy business owner, look out for what your body might be trying to tell you and take action to fix it.
For instance, if you find yourself yawning before midday, maybe you’re not getting enough sleep. If you feel lethargic after lunch, maybe you’re not fuelling your body with the right foods.
These are small but incredibly important symptoms that your brain and body aren’t getting what they need to perform properly. It’s easy to simply power through with a cup of coffee, but you could be doing more long-term damage that way, especially if you repetitively ignore those warning signs. So, pay attention to what your body needs and take it seriously.
Exercise regularly
Physical exercise benefits both your mental and physical wellbeing in tremendous ways. Of course, it’s essential for weight control and muscle and joint health, but it also has incredibly powerful effects on your mental and emotional state.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, fitness helps improve your:
- Mood, making you feel more awake and calmer
- Stress levels, by fighting your stress hormones
- Self-esteem, giving you more confidence and optimism about yourself
- Cognitive health, reducing your chances of memory loss
- Anxiety, helping you feel more empowered
With that in mind, regular exercise is essential to maintain your wellbeing as a business owner. You don’t need to have an intense fitness regime to feel the above effects; something as simple as a 20-minute walk in the morning is an excellent way to wake your body up and get those endorphins flowing.
If you commute to an office or co-working space, that’s another easy way to incorporate some movement into your daily routine. For instance, rather than driving, why not cycle to work?
There are plenty of small but effective ways to make exercise part of your regular schedule and keeping it up will significantly help maintain your physical and mental wellbeing.
Build a support network
Finally, all business owners should have a support network. While your wellbeing relies largely on you and your lifestyle, you can’t do everything yourself, and we all need external advice and a shoulder to cry on from time to time.
That’s why it’s essential to surround yourself with like-minded people that you trust. Your support network should comprise a mixture of leaders and professionals, to assist with business-related issues, and family members and friends, to support you in your personal life.
Without a strong support network, your mental and emotional wellbeing could be at risk. As a business owner, you have your fair share of difficult decisions to make, there are numerous challenges to overcome, and victories to celebrate.
Whether you need business guidance, personal support, or someone to celebrate good news with, it’s crucial to have a support network to rely on.
Thanks for reading
There you have seven simple but powerful ways to maintain your well-being as a busy business owner. We hope that this article provided useful techniques to try if you run an existing business or helped you feel empowered and well-equipped to get started.
Rapid Formations is one of the UK’s best company formation agents. As an authorised Companies House e-filing partner, they help make starting a business easy, quick, and affordable for aspiring entrepreneurs both in and outside of the UK.
Browse their incorporation packages, starting from just £52.99, and bring your business venture to life in as little as a few hours.
