Have You Ever Worked Yourself to Exhaustion?
Your alarm clock has become your worst nightmare.
You’ve got a short temper and the stresses of work are building day to day.
You’ve got staff calling you, suppliers ignoring you and customers demanding your attention.
This is not what you signed up for.
Sometimes you wish you could have the security of a steady paycheque, and work a 9-5. But that fantasy evades you. You’ve committed. You’ve sunk soo much time and probably a lot of your own money into your project you know that there is no turning around.
But wait.
Aren’t these the problems you have always been waiting for?
In the early days you probably longed to have the success you’ve now achieved. You just didn’t realise it would come with so much added responsibility… right?
“Great power imposes a heavy responsibility.” - Francois-Marie Arouet (aka Voltaire), 1832.
It’s not your fault, you never knew that you’d have to change in order to achieve your goals. But as it turns out change is enviable. If you want to reach new levels of success you are going to have to adapt and change to be able to handle the additional uncertainty and stresses that come with achievement.
You can’t have more success without first increasing your commitments. Therefore a large part of achievement and success is being able to manage your increasing commitments and handling new levels of uncertainty.
Being able to remain calm and focused in spite of this uncertainty is an art. As it turns out, part of being an effective entrepreneur is recognising that you need to manage your stress levels.
Entrepreneurs Need Rest
If you are being a proactive entrepreneur then chances are there is often not enough time in the day and not enough days in the week to get everything done. Time is always short, so taking a break seems impossible. The most effective entrepreneurs understand that time is short and valuable. They also recognise that rest is necessary to effectively handle the daily stresses of running a business. To mange the additional uncertainty and stress that comes with success: rest is needed.
Work Smarter By Resting Smarter
As it turns out you can learn how to work smarter and be increasingly more productive with your work. The key is to have effective breaks which I call SMART breaks. In this video I run though what it means to make a SMART break and why you need to take one.
Specifically you’ll learn…
- Why it is a good idea to take a break
- What it means to take a SMART break
- How SMART breaks will help you become a more effective entrepreneur
I know for myself that being proactive with my rest and taking SMART breaks has helped me increase my own productivity, tremendously! It really comes down to doing something that allows you to unwind in order to work more effectively after the break.
For me I do things like exercise, yoga or I go for a walk in nature. This is great for me because a lot of my work is indoors and physically restricting so these are contrasting to a typical work day. Another way I find works for is to go out with friends or family. It is important to note that this is ONLY categorised as a SMART break when the conversations and activities are positive and fun. If you spend your time off with negative people who want to complain, whine and blame for conversation, then you are better not to engage with these influences.
It may seem difficult to say no when others wish to spend time with you but you have to remember your larger goals and your vision and if influences are not going to help you achieve, you must cut them off.
What Works For Me, May Not Work For You
To have effective breaks you must work out what will work for you. What is it that you like to do for your time off. The big question is…
Will your break aid you in your efforts?
or
Will it harm you?
It’s up to you evaluate your influences and choose a SMART break that suits you. Then when you notice your stress levels becoming too high and when it affects your ability to lead, you know it is time to have a SMART break!
Thanks for watching and let me know if you enjoyed it the comments below!
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