NFIB

Are You a Good Boss to Yourself?
05/ 03/ 2004

by Maggie Flynn

You wouldn't expect your employees to spend their days off checking in on the business, would you? Can you imagine requesting that they arrive early and stay late every single day? You probably wouldn't dream of asking your employees to sacrifice their vacations, take work home every night or let their personal lives suffer because of their jobs. Yet you might be treating your most valuable employee -- you -- in precisely that manner.

If you weren't driven and disciplined, then you wouldn't have become a small-business owner in the first place. But it's important to know when you can turn that inner-taskmaster off and relax for a few minutes. Here are a few tips to help you do just that:

Set a reasonable to-do list each day, and then go home. At the beginning of each workday, you might try looking at your never-ending task list and jot down the things that absolutely must get done that day. On lighter days, you can always delve back into the big list later in the day. If you've already worked late and think you should get a start on tomorrow's tasks, don't! Congratulate yourself on a job nicely done and spend some well-deserved time with family or friends.

Get out of the office. Would you expect one of your employees to eat lunch at her desk every day? Or put off personal errands indefinitely? Make sure you use your lunch break for its intended purpose whenever possible. Even if you're just getting out for a walk around the block, make sure to break up your day and take a few minutes to relax and re-focus.

Delegate. If one of your employees seemed overwhelmed with work, you'd likely ask another staff member to step in and assist. Yet when it comes to your own tasks, you might think, "It's just easier to do it myself." While this may be true in the short-term, you need to learn to pay yourself the same courtesy you give your other employees. Decide what tasks you can let go of, and train the appropriate employees to take over.

If you are currently working by yourself, consider what jobs you could outsource. For example, hiring an accountant to handle the bills might just free up those few extra hours a week you've been so desperately trying to find.

Find a hobby. Wouldn't you worry about an employee who seemed to have no life outside of work? Being the boss doesn't mean sacrificing outside interests. In fact, you'll have more energy and enthusiasm for your work if you allow yourself to step away from it every so often. Make time to attend events that interest you, or take up a golf or tennis game or some other activity that will not only relax you, but keep you in shape, too.

Take care of yourself. This means going on vacation at least once a year, just like the rest of your staff. (And you wouldn't expect them to call the office every day they're gone, so you shouldn't either!) It also means making sure you get enough exercise and sleep, and eating a healthy and balanced diet. Keep up with your annual doctor's visits as well. If you do need to cancel these appointments to put out a fire at work, reschedule right while you're on the phone so you don't put it off.

While following these tips certainly won't eliminate those hectic days when you end up at work until 11 p.m., only to get up at 6 a.m. the next morning and face it again, it should help you remember that not every day contains a crisis, and shouldn't be treated as such. Like most other people in our fast-paced society, you probably sometimes feel that there will never be enough time to do everything you need to do. And you're probably right. So why not accept this and do the best you can with the time you have, and allow yourself to enjoy some of it, too?

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