Mindset - Top Tips when feeling the startup pressure

by Startacus Admin

If becoming a startup success was easy, then the ol’ clichés of ‘the ups and the downs’ would not really ring so true. When starting a business, everyone, (ourselves here at Startacus included), have had moments of pressure and self-doubt, or days when more seems to go wrong than ever go right. With this in mind, here are a few pointers to help keep you in the right mood - the right mindset should we say...

Take a Break
If you are feeling under pressure, often the worst thing that you can do is to engulf yourself further into work. Take a break - get some space - go somewhere new...but don’t just simply stare at your computer or at your desk or workspace in despair.

Back to Basics
If things aren’t going well it might be wise to take some time to go back to the basics of what your business is for and is all about. What is the problem that you are trying to solve? Sometimes you can work at the coal face of things so much, that you forget the very basics of what your business is trying to achieve.

Pivot
In the ‘Startup’ world this word is used all the time. In essence what it means is turning on your heels and taking your business and potentially your business model in a new direction. The joy of self-employment is that when things aren’t going according to plan, at least you have the power to make immediate decisions that can benefit you and your business immediately.

Make notes
When you are feeling under pressure or stressed, your mind may not work in the methodical or logical way that you would like it to. However irrespective of your mindset, note taking can be a good way of making sure that the multitude of tasks and duties that you must do, are both recorded, remembered and ranked in level of importance.

Make decisions
Leading on from making notes - make decisions on the tasks and duties that you are least looking forward to completing! Don’t keep putting off all the tough decisions and questions and make those ‘to do’s’ the priorities on your list.

Consider your next step
If after a few days, things are still becoming a drag, look for support. Self-employment can often be a lonely old game, and without the support of an office team or a co-founder, you may find yourself lost in the enormity of managing your own business. Even if you have a co-founder or a team around you, it may be beneficial to chat to someone independent from the business to gain their opinion, feedback and offload the weight of burden you are feeling.

Remember
Whether you are employed, self employed or unemployed - the reality is that everyone feels career stress. Without sounding overly bohemian, try to remember that a job is just a job - irrespective of whether you have created it yourself or not.

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Published on: 25th March 2013