Dealing With Stress in Our Overworked Lives

As small business owners, we often take on more than we can handle. Wearing all the hats running our businesses, as well as the other commitments we have (i.e. volunteer work, family, etc.), can sometimes leave us feeling overworked, frustrated, and stressed out.

Being under so much stress is not good for anyone and it can definitely have an effect on our businesses.

So we need to alleviate some of our stress and find solutions for the reasons that we are so overworked.

  1. Take a step back from everything and decide which tasks are 'needs' and which tasks are 'wants'. Which tasks are more important than others? We consider everything that we do in our lives, especially when running our businesses, as important. However, which tasks can you postpone long enough without producing a negative effect on ourselves and our success. Which tasks can wait?
  2. Learn that you cannot say 'yes' to everything. For most people and for most businesses, saying no to anyone can be like pulling teeth. It can be very painful and have a lasting effect. But again, you need to think of yourself, your success, and your well-being. Decide which tasks you have been asked to do that can be better accomplished by someone else or that will have a negative effect on yourself and make a point to politely decline to assist.
  3. Prioritize your life. In step #1 above, we learned to decide between 'important' and 'can wait' tasks. But, even the important tasks can add up. So, you need to break down that list of important tasks even farther and prioritize them. In business, ensure that those tasks that will enhance your business and your reputation with your clients are the first tasks on your list.
  4. Focus on the task at hand and not so much the long-term outcome of the task. All to often, as small business owners, our heads are working in overdrive as we imagine the possibilities that can occur because of certain tasks that we do. Now, that doesn't mean we shouldn't imagine the outcome of accomplishing tasks and any rewards or ramifications that may result from it, but just don't obsess or over-dream about it and make it your sole purpose in thriving.
  5. Remember to pat yourself on the back when you have accomplished a task, especially the important ones. Take a break away from it and refresh yourself before beginning your next task. I've always found going and looking out the window at the wonders of nature while I wait for the kettle to boil for my hot chocolate can have a brightening and rejuvenating effect on my day.
  6. And last, but not least, ask for help. No matter how much we think we can take on the world we are not all 'super human' and to ask for assistance with something is a part of being 'normal human'. When running your business, generating revenue and increasing your customer base is your most important 'needs' so why not get some help with the non-core tasks (i.e. correspondence, maintaining your website, designing your newsletter, etc.) in order to keep up. There are many, many qualified professionals out there that specialize in helping others stay on the right track and grow their businesses.

Stress is an all too common word in our society but it doesn't have to be something that rules our lives. Learn to manage your time and prioritize your life (and all of it's aspects) and you will find that you not only feel better inside, people will notice the new relaxed you which, in turn, will be another benefit for yourself and your business as they are more comfortable dealing with you.

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About Janice D. Byer, MVA

Janice Byer is a certified Master Virtual Assistant and owner of Docu-Type Administrative & Web Design Services (http://www.docutype.net). See this and other articles on her website.
jbyer@docutype.net


And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Conference Call

Many businesses have long used the services of a conference call company to spread their message to the investment community, where investment professionals could hear many firms in several days. To accomodate those who couldn't travel, the conference call allowed hundreds of analysts to hear a presentation and ask questions in real time.

But access was usually restricted and often involved long-distance toll charges. Occasionally a friendly broker would loan you his access codes, some of which found their way to the Internet. As a result, conferences could be swamped.

The Internet now provides a much more practical venue for the conference call. With its low cost and ability to accomodate many listeners it is now practical to open a conference call to almost anyone (at least to listen). And an increasing number of firms now do.

For example, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal related how companies do this as an efficient way to control the irresponsible babble on the Internet. People posting idle chatter now attract accurate responces from others who have heard the actual story on a conference call. As a result, the irresponsible postings are controlled.

Companies like the ability to make one public statement, and then be free from goverment limitations on how investment information must be released. And individual investors like it too, as access to this information gets them access to information that once only slowly reached the average investor.

Using the Internet has many advantages besides the instantaneous international release that results. It is possible to save the audio files so that the conference call can be accessed later at a more convenient time. Plus it's possible to edit out meaningless portions of each conference. Naturally, there are some limitations.

If everyone could ask a question, real brawls could result as the conferences became uncontrolled. So most Internet systems limit who can ask a question. An outstanding advantage for the average investor is to witness directly a firm's management in action. While the information might be the same, an investor gains confidence in management that presents a virtuoso performane over one that is defensive, hesitant, and obfuscative. The details aside, the speed of responce and other items that don't get incorporated in an analyst's report can add a lot to one's understanding.

Previously, a small investor's only such access might have been at a company's annual meeting. Several firms have opened to provide investment-related conference-call services in one form or another over the Internet. Some require membership and user fees, but the trend seems to be toward company funding of the low cost service, and free or very low cost access by the public.

Expect that more and more firms will use the services of a conference call company to dissiminate their information to a wider section of the population including investors and employees. You should encourage firms that you are interested in to do so. This form of communication is yet another form of ultimate corporate democracy.

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About Cornelius Callan

Cornelius Callan has specialist knowledge in the setting up of a conference call. At his website he provides resources he'd only use himself or suggest to his best friends. Visit him at: http://www.conference-call-network.info.