5 Ways to Reduce Small Business Overwhelm

Feeling overwhelmed running your business? Learn 5 simple strategies to take control, reduce stress, and keep your business (and life) thriving!

When you’re a small business owner, overwhelm seems inevitable. Most of the time, you experience some degree of overwhelm in either your business or personal life. Or both. Because when you’re a small business owner, business and personal overlap. And intertwine – a lot. 

Some overwhelm is inevitable. Things like the holiday season bring increased demands on your time and your team if you have one. You have to do more of everything – more marketing, more orders, more shipping (and don’t forget the increased shipping charges and shipping times), more customer service questions and issues… 

While overwhelm can seem inevitable, taking steps to reduce it is crucial. Overwhelm isn’t just a fact of entrepreneurial life. It’s also a major obstacle to success, no matter which part of your life it’s coming from. 

Overwhelm in your personal life affects your business and overwhelm in your business affects your personal life. Think about how many times you’ve been impatient or snippy or even overreacted to something because of stress in another part of your life. I know I have.  

So many business owners operate in a constant state of overwhelm. But it doesn’t have to be that way for you. There are five things you can do to help reduce your overwhelm so you can thrive instead of just surviving. 

1. Manage your time effectively to reduce overwhelm.  

There will never be enough hours in the day. And there will never be a way to add more hours to your day. This makes managing your time crucial to reducing overwhelm. 

You can get more done in the same amount of time when you: 

Identify high-priority tasks.

As a small business owner, your to-do list never ends. But there are items on that list that are more important than others. Spend time identifying your high-priority tasks. Think revenue-generating tasks or content creation.   

Tasks that can be done by someone else – a virtual assistant (VA) or other team member are not high-priority tasks. Rather, they are tasks that should be delegated, leaving you more time to focus on things that move your business forward. 

Use time blocking to complete high-priority tasks.

Once you identify the most important tasks, reduce overwhelm by setting aside time to complete them. Time blocking is an effective way to increase productivity and efficiency by eliminating time and brain power wasted by constantly switching tasks. 

Creating content is a task that is SO important to your business, but also a task that can take SO much time. Batching content creation and blocking off time to focus solely on content creation is the best way to generate more, high-quality content in less time! 

Check out this block to learn more about time blocking and how this productivity strategy can help reduce overwhelm! 

Increase productivity and reduce overwhelm by removing distractions

Whether you’re running your small business from your home, a brick-and-mortar shop, or a dedicated warehouse space, distractions are everywhere! 

If you work from home, there is always laundry to do, dishes to load into the dishwasher, and meals to prepare. And working in a dedicated space with a team can be even more distracting. There are questions to answer, problems to solve, and conversations to engage in. 

When it’s time to work, remove as many distractions as possible. This might mean turning off notifications and putting your phone in a drawer, closing your door, or letting your family or team members know you are not to be disturbed. And don’t underestimate the power of simply closing out tabs on your computer! 

Use a timer to stay focused.

Our brains can only focus on a task for so long before they need a break. Using a timer can help you stay focused and also remind you when it’s time to give your brain – and your body – a break. 

2. Reduce overwhelm by hiring, outsourcing, and delegating 

Are you overwhelmed because your business has grown and it’s no longer possible to do all the things yourself? It’s time to hire. Whether that’s hiring a VA (check out this blog post to learn what a VA can do for your subscription box business), or someone to help with fulfillment, you’ll be amazed by how much more you can accomplish when you have help. 

Think about what tasks you want to take off your plate. I recommend outsourcing customer service fairly early. When you’re overwhelmed with too many tasks, it’s easy to let customer service slip. Hiring someone to focus on customer service ensures you’re giving customers and subscribers the outstanding service they deserve. 

3. Set realistic goals and timelines 

Have you ever made a list of things you’ll get done in a day and, when the end of the day comes, you didn’t get to half of them? Yeah, me, too. 

Entrepreneurs are guilty of always thinking we can get more done in a set amount of time than we actually can. 

Setting realistic goals and setting realistic timelines reduces overwhelm and sets you up for higher levels of success. When you are realistic about how much you can achieve and in what timeframe you can achieve it, you can produce higher-quality results. 

When it comes time to plan, be honest with yourself. You may need to spend time tracking how long it takes you to accomplish certain tasks. Always include some buffer time in your timelines. Unexpected delays or challenges will pop up. That buffer time allows you to make decisions with a clear head, not in a state of overwhelm or panic. 

When planning, plan only one “big rock” per quarter – one major project or initiative. 

I start by planning my year, then each quarter, then my months, etc. This type of planning allows me to reserve time for vacations and family occasions and then plan for my business around them. 

I teach this type of planning in my Strategic Yearly Planning Workshop. It’s the best way to plan a year that serves you and your business. 

4. Reduce and prevent overwhelm by getting support

You’re an entrepreneur. A small business owner. And you might be tempted to think that means you’re on your own. That you need to do it all. That’s a mistake. 

You need help and support. We all do. And feeling like you have support – like you have people in your corner, people who have your back and are willing to carry some of the load? That makes a huge difference. Feeling supported reduces the amount of overwhelm you feel. 

Where does this support come from and what does it look like? Ask yourself:  

• How can your team support you? 
• How can your spouse or partner support you? 
• How can your children support you? 
• How can your friends and family support you? 
• Seek out other support – housekeeper, grocery deliveries, etc. You’ll be amazed at how you’ll feel when you take everyday chores off your to-do list. 

Support isn’t always offered freely. Sometimes you have to ask for it. And I want you to ask. 

5. Don’t forget to make time for self-care 

You need to make time for yourself. Your physical, mental, and emotional health depends on it. 

Self-care isn’t selfish. When you take time to give your body and mind what they need, you are better able to show up for your business and the people in your life. 

Plan self-care time. Put it on your calendar. It’s much too easy to put it off or move it to the bottom of your list of things to do. But I want you to treat self-care like an appointment with yourself that can’t be moved. 

Self-care can look like a long soak in the bathtub (my favorite), quiet time spent reading, or simply taking a walk. But self-care isn’t just about spending quiet time by yourself. 

Self-care is also about spending time with friends and family. It’s anything that feeds your soul and fills your cup. And spending time with your favorite people – think lunch with a good friend who makes you laugh or just “gets you,” can do wonders for feelings of overwhelm 

Overwhelm leads to two things – burnout and bad decisions. Take steps to reduce your feelings of overwhelm. Start with one of these items and build it into your routine. Then layer in another. And another. Stop operating in fight or flight mode. Your health and the health of your business depend on it! 

Need even more tips to manage overwhelm? Listen to this episode of the Launch Your Box Podcast now!