We bring to your attention the story of Jason Sadler, the founder of the startup iWearYourShirt. He talks about how much time to devote to work and how not to burn out from excess working time.
I remember everything very clearly. The first year of launching my business was coming to an end, and all my friends wrote and called to congratulate me on the launch of such a cool idea. In addition, many of them said the same phrase:
"Jason, you've done a great job, but you need to rest. You can't work 365 days a year. In the end, you just can't stand it."
I reread this phrase over and over again and thought: "Pfft, only ordinary people need vacations and weekends, I don't need them."
I was wrong.
After another six months, I began to get tired. There were problems with sleep, and there were fewer and fewer interesting and creative ideas. Because of this, I decided to make myself one day off a week — Sunday (before that I worked seven days a week). This day off cost me $35,000 in revenue per year. It wasn't easy to accept, but I knew that if I continued to work at the same pace, it would cost me even more.
Despite the fact that this weekend was useful, the damage done to me was irreparable. I couldn't rest in one day, and in the end it all came down to the fact that I was working on Sunday anyway. So another year passed.
It couldn't go on like this. I have developed a small plan, which I follow so far, and I advise you to follow it, so as not to experience the same problems.
When creating your own business, the temptation to work 24/7 is too great. It's easy to fill every hour of your time with checking emails, brainstorming, coding, and more. But if you do not rest, then eventually you will encounter a wall of stupor, which is not easy to overcome. Insert a day off into your schedule and enjoy the time spent with family and friends.
It is not necessary to go to Goa or the Bahamas to relax. It's enough to go out into nature, go to the cinema with friends or something else, at your discretion. The main thing is to move away from the computer and work for a while.
My friend gave me this advice a few years ago, and it turned out to be a discovery. If I can earn the amount needed for a month's stay in a week, then I can relax the rest of the time. This does not mean that I will work 120 hours in the first week of every month. Rather, I will be more focused on creating a profitable business and will be confident in my future.
You should still be the cornerstone of your business, but strive to ensure that your presence is not required all the time. Can you hire an assistant to work with your mail? Or a project manager who will manage your project, even on a freelance basis? Or take a family member to take care of minor problems, even without education?
Take a look at your work schedule and plan a well-deserved rest next week. Just take a real break from work. And in the future you will say thank you to yourself.
