An organized business starts with an organized mind
April is National Stress Awareness Month, and founders everywhere know the stress that comes with starting and running your own business. While extremely rewarding in other aspects, being the boss comes with many responsibilities and pressures that can lead to burnout, anxiety, and stress. From long working hours to conflicting priorities to a personal obligation to succeed, founder life can be draining. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by all that needs to get done and organized for your business to thrive, you’re not alone.
During stressful times, getting and staying organized can seem like an impossible task. As the year goes on, your to-do list may get longer and the pressure continues to build to meet any annual goals. I’m here to tell you that if you want an organized business, you need to start with an organized mind. This National Stress Awareness Month, orient yourself toward a lifestyle that helps you manage your stress and better deal with stressful feelings and situations. We’ll go over the importance of setting a personal wellness routine, taking care of your mind and body, and creating an organized personal environment that can translate to a better headspace and set you up for personal and professional success. Let’s dive in.
Creating a routine for structure and productivity
If you’re a business owner, you understand firsthand the importance of structure. When there are organized systems and processes in place, work gets done faster – and better. But these systems cannot work if the people using them are disorganized and scattered. Establishing a daily routine in your personal life is critical to maintaining organization and productivity in your professional life. You may already have some type of routine in your day, but is it getting you where you want to be?
A big factor of stress comes from feeling like things are in chaos. If you want to improve your mindset for better energy, mood, and productivity, setting a daily routine you can stick to can help you focus and perform at your best. Whether carving out time in the morning for some self-care activities or scheduling daily breaks to rest and recharge, make it a priority this month to find what works for you – and consistently follow it. If you struggle to set a habit, consider joining a support group or network that will help hold you accountable. In the long term, organizing your time will help you better manage your professional responsibilities while also giving you some space to do things you enjoy.
Take care of your mind and body
When dealing with stress, it’s important to remember that the mind and body are intertwined, and proactively taking care of both your mental and physical health can help manage anxiety and boost productivity. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to optimizing your performance, it’s important to set aside time for yourself and find the things that bring you joy. Spring is a great time to sign up for a new sport or activity, try some healthy recipes, and spend more time outside.
As a founder, it can be difficult to apply these same self-care principles to your professional life. While it’s tempting to take ownership over all aspects of your business, delegating tasks when necessary and establishing boundaries can help you better organize your time and focus your effort on where it’s most needed. Block off time on your calendar to recharge, communicate any strict working hours to your team, and encourage a culture of personal health and success by making yourself an example of what great work-life balance looks like.
Organize your space
Many people say your environment reflects your mind. If your home or work environment is cluttered, disorganized, and generally chaotic, it might be time to take that spring cleaning trend seriously. Creating an organized personal and work space can help reduce your stress and put you in a better mindset for performing at your best. Start with cleaning up your physical space by using storage solutions, filing systems, and recycling any materials you no longer need. Don’t forget to also do a digital cleanup and organize your files, sort through your inbox, and create a simple system for your desktop folders where documents are easy to find and share in a time crunch.
We’re living in a new era of AI, and more than ever before, there are countless tools to help you manage your tasks and priorities effectively. Productivity platforms like Asana, Wrike, Notion, and Zapier all have AI integrations to help you stay focused, organized, and stress-free. An organized business starts with an organized mind, and many AI tools can help you get there.
Conclusion
This National Stress Awareness Month, it’s important to take the time to organize your personal space for a more productive and efficient lifestyle. Establishing a healthy routine to better manage your time will help you achieve more in both your personal and professional life. Within this routine, prioritizing your mental and physical health can help you feel more energized, focused, and productive to tackle any obstacles that may come up. Also, organizing your physical and digital space can put you in a better mindset to get, and stay, organized with your time and tasks. Stress is an inevitable part of our lives, but the way we react to and manage those feelings can make a tremendous difference in how we perform.
