Business Management

Stress Management

      

Feel like you are in a pressure cooker? Here are a few tips to reduce your stress level and lessen the negative effect stress can have on your business operations.

1.     Don’t procrastinate and postpone decision making. Difficult decisions are not made easier because you postpone them. At times conditions may worsen if issues are not resolved quickly. Without really ducking a decision, stress can be relieved if you just take a short break or switch tasks for change of perspective.

2.     Stay fit. A program of regular exercise can help your body and mind deal with difficult situations that may arise from time to time. Try to maintain a healthy diet to support your overall health. Know your body signals; excessive heart rates, headaches, anxiety may be signals and suggest a need to find time to wind down.

3.     Delegate responsibility. No one has a monopoly on all of the good ideas and ways to resolve problems. Let staff participate as part of team that enjoys successes and faces difficulties on the job as well.

4.     Network within and outside of the business to share ideas and issues with. Trust people to help with business issues. Working in isolation is rarely a good idea.

5.     Eliminate surprises. Make sure key support people including those managing finances keep you up to date. Since cash flow is a key marker make sure expenses are kept under control and systems to improve productivity are reviewed often. A well run business with good information flow is a key to stress reduction.

These suggestions won’t eliminate all of the stress in your business but I find they help keep stress at a manageable level.