Busy doesn’t always mean productive, the same way stress doesn’t always mean you are working.

As an individual, stress is something you need to avoid; it isn’t something that should be condoned or nurtured.

Stress affects productivity and it is not the friend of anyone who wants to do productive work.

As an entrepreneur, if you are being stressed out; you have to nip the stress in the bud immediately. Here are some practical and simple ways you can handle stress:

So many things may want to cause you stress such as your day-to-day activities, balancing your books, going tot he market, hiring process, and so on.

Here are some practical and simple ways you can handle stress:

Do not skip sleep: It is tempting to keep working on and on and avoid sleeping. Afterall, you think, “It is my business and I have to put in the work.” You have to put in the work but that doesn’t mean you should avoid sleeping. Sleep is important and it is very vital to productivity. It would be an irony to say you don’t want to sleep because you want to be more productive.

Delegate: it can also be tempting to tell yourself that you will handle everything…market research, meeting with customers, setting up your website, doing your logo, handling your social media pages, writing articles, talking with the press, handling customers’ queries, etc. As much as you can, find a way to delegate those things people can do for you. If you are worried about cost, you can hire a virtual assistant that won’t cost you so much.

Delete: the same way you need to delegate some things is the same way you need to delete some things. What are those things that are not needed? What are those things that you will be fine without doing? Would you delete them?

Delay: remember, you don’t have to do all the things you need to do in just one day. That is one of the reasons you need to set realistic to-do lists. Can you delay some things to give you time to focus on the most important things today? Don’t set unrealistic expectations for yourself.

Know your stress signals: pay attention to yourself and find out those things that come before you start feeling stressed out. Maybe pounding hate, cold feet, sweating profusely, and so on. When you notice this and you see it coming, you can easily calm down and handle stress head on.

Don’t stuff your schedule: just because we have 24 hours in a day doesn’t mean you should work all through the 24 hours. Schedule time for breaks and time to rejuvenate and catch your breath. Don’t just tell yourself you will take breaks, tell yourself you will take breaks and then schedule a time for it!

Healthy lifestyle: you also need to take out time to exercise. It might not be daily, but at least exercise for some days during the week.  Not only do you need to exercise, your eating habits must be healthy and good for your body.

Have a me-time: set out time for yourself. Not all your time should be spent working. Have some time to unplug and relax and be in touch with yourself.

Learn to say ‘no’: avoid over-committing yourself to unrealistic tasks and expectations. Do you have to do everything? Set your priorities right and focus on the important things.

Laugh: take out time to laugh and enjoy life!

How else can entrepreneurs handle stress? Drop your comments below!