Small business owners put a lot of hard work into their business right from the start. If you are a small business owner, you know that your business is built on long hours, careful planning, lots of effort, and so much more. The stress of long hours and tons of effort can seriously take a big toll on us, leading to stress, illness, and sleepless nights. A great way to reduce the stress is to set up business hours for yourself (and your employees if you have them). Here are some of the reasons why business hours are so important for your mental health.
One of the most important benefits to having a schedule is limiting the number of hours that you work! When you’re passionate about your business, it’s easy to spend countless hours to secure your financial success. The stress and strain of working around the clock has a severe negative impact on our bodies, resulting in high blood pressure, headaches, weight gain, sleeplessness, and more. In order to reduce these negative factors, you need to schedule your business hours, stick to them, and provide yourself with a balance between work and personal life.
Many business owners are working so hard that they want to address clients concerns right away. But creating a schedule of business hours sets boundaries with your clients that relieves the pressure of responding right away. Without a clear schedule of when you will be available, clients could expect a response to their questions and concerns right away. This can interrupt family and personal time, leaving you unable to enjoy down time and pressure to go back to work right away. But by having business hours and sticking to them, your clients will have clear expectations of when you will be available to address their concerns.
Similarly, your schedule can be confusing to your family and friends. A set schedule of business hours willallow your family to know when you will be working. This will reduce interruptions when you are working, and free you up for having fun when you’re off the clock.
When you are your own boss, sometimes work can be pushed off until later. Reduce procrastination by doing your work in a concentrated time frame. With set business hours, your productivity will most likely increase because you must make the most of the time that you have set aside for work. Increasing productivity will ultimately give you more time to do other tasks or free time to spend away from work.
If you’re invested in your business for the long haul, make sure to pay close attention to your stress level! Your business is very important, but your health is even more important. If you’re unable to concentrate, aren’t getting any sleep, and having negative effects on your health due to the many hours you’re investing in your relationship, it’s time to set up scheduled business hours. Notify your clients of your hours through an email, your website, your signature on emails, your voice mail message, and printed on your business cards. Your mental health and sanity will be much better off!