Entrepreneur, look after your mental health

The requirements of work cause stress. An appropriate amount of workload is a normal part of work and something you cannot or should not try to eliminate completely. However, prolonged harmful workload, such as an excessive amount of work, insufficient possibilities to control, manage or set the pace of work, or difficult conditions, can put your work ability at risk. By managing the workload, you support your mental health. 

From the perspective of mental health, the most important workload factors are psychosocial, in other words psychological. Studies have shown that the most common sources of stress for entrepreneurs are uncertainty, loneliness, haste, and the amount of work. High stress levels are also associated with lower business success.

How you can manage your workload

• Make sure you know and understand what the workload factors in your work are. Never be content with the initial, easy impression. 
• Take excessive workload seriously also when the work gets done despite it. No one else will do it for you. 
• Maintain and develop your competence, reserve time for training, experimentation, and planning.
• Entrepreneurship has its own dedicated skillset; also develop your entrepreneurial skills. 
• Make sure you have a support network and co-operation partners for situations where you need support. 

According to a number of studies, self-employed persons tend to be more committed to work than employees. Working and entrepreneurship are often a strong part of their identity. Work is highly engaging when you work with something interesting and important to you. Entrepreneurs’ work satisfaction is often high although the requirements are tough, the working hours can be long, and the work always involves uncertainty.

As an entrepreneur, you have no fixed work schedule and you alone are responsible for deciding when to work. Take seasonal variations into account when planning your company’s finances. If you count on doing paid work every single day of the year, you will have no time to recover. Therefore, you should also take vacation times and national holidays into account.

Do not expect yourself to be effective and productive all the time. You can only work in a focused way if you also allow yourself time to recover. Many entrepreneurs work long hours, but on the other hand, you also have the opportunity to regulate your working hours. If and when your work seeps into your free time, you can also allow the opposite. You can pause your workday to do other things.