Saying you have a stressful job is an understatement. You routinely experience periods of nonstop, 24/7 work where there’s literally no time for anything except the task at-hand because if you don’t ship that product update or close that fundraise, you’ll lose your biggest customer or be out of cash (or insert your most recent fire drill here).
While you’re becoming an expert firefighter, it’s important to recognize that company building is a marathon, not a sprint. So while you may need to relentlessly charge hard for certain stretches, it’s equally important to take advantage of the less hectic moments to recharge and work towards a more balanced long-term baseline.
You know these tactics already, the internet is littered with ideas on how to manage stress, but these few in particular have helped us, and continue to help us, bring a bit of balance to our day jobs. We hope these reflections will help bring them back to the front of your mind.
1. Creating outlets
“Prioritizing” the things you care about in your life can often feel like a misnomer, because besides your work and the singular goal attainment that comes with it, there’s not much time or bandwidth left. That said, spending time away from your company will pay dividends and help you get closer to your personal goals and company goals if you make the investment.
- Get a hobby - Don’t just pick any hobby, pick something that meets the following criteria: (i) it’s unrelated to your company; (ii) stimulates your brain; (iii) you’re constantly looking forward to; and (iv) includes a long learning curve to reach any level of mastery.
- Take time off - Don’t be the CEO that never takes a day off or is constantly checking in with their team while on holiday. You know it models the wrong behavior for your team, but even more importantly, you’ll never reap the benefits of the mental break that time away from the office provides. We’ve “taken time off” both ways and are speaking to this from our first-hand perspectives. Start with a weekend, or even just one day, if you can’t remember the last time you truly disconnected. Once you do that a couple times, plan a longer holiday.
- Leverage your personal board - Keep your personal board members engaged continuously so they’re with you through the ups, downs and flat parts of the ride. Talk to them actively about not just what’s going well or what you need their specific help with, but what’s stressing you out. Ask for their input and collect different perspectives. And take time to reflect. If you’ve pulled the right people into your personal board, then this can be transformative and calming during even the most stressful moments.
2. Looking after your physical health
Similar to the reasons you may not feel like you have time for hobbies or time off, you may be shortchanging yourself in one or more of the following areas:
- You don’t sleep as much as you should;
- Your doctor would be disappointed to hear how little movement you get everyday;
- You think you drink too much, or you just avoid thinking about whether or not you do; or
- Mindfulness is a difficult concept to describe, let alone practice.
We’ve grappled with each of these (sleep, fitness, alcohol and mindfulness), and while we continue to be works in progress ourselves, we know without question that you’ll become a better CEO through intentionally changing your lifestyle and daily habits. There’s always room for improvement. And soon enough, maybe you’ll even be ready for your own “Think Week” a la Bill Gates.
References
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