HARPER MAVEN

Design • Website Development • Education

•••••

hm.

HOW I REDUCE OVERWHELM & STRESS IN MY BUSINESS

July 3, 2019

ADVICE & OPINION, BUSINESS, DESIGN BUSINESS, FEATURED

Let’s be honest, running a business can be incredibly difficult, time consuming, and draining. But it can also be beautiful, fun, and energizing – as long as you can take the overwhelm and stress in stride.

Most days I wake up truly happy to go to work and collaborate with my clients on gorgeous Brand Designs, but there are definitely days that are a struggle. Typically, the stress comes from taking on too many projects or getting backed up on the ones I have on the calendar. There is nothing worse than making a promise to a client that you can’t keep, and for me that is always super stress inducing.

It is important to remember when dealing with feelings of overwhelm in your business that preventing or getting through it is two-fold.

First and foremost, the better that you take care of yourself mentally and physically, the easier it will be to handle these difficult days. Look at it this way, if you are a generally a happy, well-balanced business owner, you make better decisions for yourself and your clients AND you tend to provide better work that is on time.

Go to the gym, eat the right foods, take time off to spend time doing things you love. If you overwork yourself from day one, chances are, it is eventually going to catch up to you. Overall, taking care of you is the most important factor in running a successful business.

Beyond taking the time for self care; I also follow these 3 rules daily to insure that I am keeping my head clear and quick and that I am doing it in a way that is as stress free as possible.

  1. Create a Schedule – This is so important, especially if you work from a home office. It is easy to work constantly when you own your own business because there are no set hours when you absolutely have to show up. A lot of the time, that means you “show up” constantly. If you create a daily schedule and stick to it, you will be much happier and will be able to get much more done than you ever expected.
  2. Have Honest Communication with Clients – I am a big believer in taking on projects that seem outside of your comfort zone or in filling your calendar to the brink – as long as it is within your abilities. Be honest with your clients about the scope of their projects and the amount of time it will take you to complete the tasks involved. Getting a bit behind? Let them know ahead of time that you are running a tad late and update them on the new timeframe. Most of the time, a reasonable client will totally understand that things happen and will be more than happy to allow for the extra time as long as they are getting a quality project. Usually, a client freak out is caused by either trying to pump out work that isn’t done well just to get something to them or not communicating your current situation. Tell the truth. They will greatly appreciate your honesty and respect you more as a business owner for being truthful.
  3. Break it Down – Break your projects and timeframes into smaller, more manageable steps in order to make it easier for both you and your clients to digest. This will allow you to get more done faster without the added stress of huge deadlines and overwhelming milestones.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

HARPER MAVEN

Design • Website Development • Education

Popular on the Blog

SHOP business TEMPLATES

SHOP WORKSHOPS

shop design templates

get in touch

resource guide

READ THE BLOG SERIES

SOCIAL MEDIA
FOR CREATIVES

Fall so in love with your business vibe & lifestyle that you can't wait to share it! 

It's True Love at it's Finest...

BACK TO HARPER MAVEN WEBSITE

Join the Next Class >>

You can't run a successful business without an excellent social media game. Join the Social Media for Creatives course to take your networks to the next level.

close

DISCOVER YOUR BUSINESS PERSONALITY

WHY I USED TO FEEL GUILT ABOUT MY SUCCESS