Entrepreneurs and business owners are ”always on.” Such leaders must remain one step ahead of their competitors if they want their companies to succeed. The fight to the top can be long and arduous. But even if you get there, you must sustain your position as an industry leader or risk losing ground to up-and-coming companies.
Successful entrepreneurs are to be visionaries, innovators, and committed professionals. We celebrate their drive and grit. Anyone can aspire to be an entrepreneur, but not every aspiring entrepreneur can build a lucrative company. It’s hard work, and only a handful of aspirants will realize their desired success.
Those who have accomplished it know the road to success is both exhausting and rewarding. Entrepreneurs must steadfastly pursue their goals. As such, it’s easy to get wrapped up in a sea of endless to-do lists and ongoing projects. Lines between one’s professional and personal life can quickly blur. Entrepreneurs routinely pride themselves on their accomplishments, but they often neglect the importance of the ”pause.”
It’s okay to slow down and breathe — in fact, it’s vital. A moment of pause isn’t wasted downtime; it’s a preventative measure to safeguard your productivity and performance while encouraging a work-life balance. Below are a few reasons why leaders should not forget the power of pausing occasionally.
Preserve your energy
Entrepreneurs often regard slowing down as a hurdle to success. They worry that taking a break will deplete their energy and interfere with business development. Yet, the opposite is true. A constant do-it-all mentality can lessen your productivity and efficiency. Your body and mind need rest. Without taking a pause, you will never allow yourself to recharge your batteries and will instead hinder your contributions. Stepping away from your work calendar, your computer, your phone, and your emails will offset your stress and recalibrate your focus. You will return to your job responsibilities with more energy than before.
Decrease your stress
Stress comes with the job. On most work days, entrepreneurs confront an exhaustive list of factors they must consider. They must balance their focus across various aspects of the business, from company growth to employee happiness. Entrepreneurs are decision-makers, and they feel the weight of every consequence of their actions. Even when operations are running smoothly, they wonder how their business can improve. With the current crisis, leaders now have to worry about unpredictable pandemics and their operational impacts. Stress management is critical to performance. Taking a moment to pause and relax will keep leaders focused and engaged. It will also reduce the stress of the workday that they would otherwise take home with them.
Gain a fresh perspective
Calm and effective entrepreneurs lead lucrative companies because they aren’t weighed down by stressors and depleted energy levels. Forward-looking leaders need to think creatively day in and day out, so they must approach every project with a fresh perspective. Stepping away from the daily grind, even if just for a few minutes, allows leaders to clear their heads and refocus. Perhaps you’ve been working on a project that’s way past its deadline. Pausing to gain a fresh perspective could be enough to push it to completion. Or perhaps you’ve been struggling with how to reach an untapped market with a new product. Taking a step back from your current strategy and spending time in reflection could inspire an entirely new approach that finally yields a green light.
Success isn’t contingent upon a leader constantly staying busy. Moments of pause can be powerful because they can offset inefficiencies and infuse leaders with newfound vigor, energy, and determination. Smart leaders know that growing a company demands occasional relaxation as much as it does constant innovation. To be ”always on,” you must also take time to “pause” and reset.