But then, you’re out to dinner with your family and all of a sudden, your phone goes off. While you want to enjoy your time with your family, in the back of your head, you are going over the context of whatever the person was contacting you about. Two options: you begrudgingly answer the call/text/email or even if you ignore it. Depending on the situation, the constant connection to the business world can be obnoxious and could possibly cause stress which can lead to burn-out.
Your mind and body needs time to rest and re-charge just as your laptop and smart phone need to re-charge.
Here are a few tips to avoid being over-worked and burnt out:1. Set up an automatic responder on your emails. This will allow you to send out an automatic reply to anyone who emails you without actually having to send an email.
2. Get your clients, colleagues and other contacts used to not hearing from you. Now this doesn’t mean that you should ignore people for an extended time period (short of planned vacations). Instead, you should train people that you will not be accessible during certain times. You should plan your “open for business” hours just as a brick and mortar store indicates its store hours for customers and vendors. For instance, if you would like to be reached only from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. at night, then don’t answer any correspondence before or after this time block.
3. If you have an iPhone, utilize the Do Not Disturb option. “This lets you set periods of time in which you won't be notified of phone calls, text messages, and app alerts--except those coming from people on a list you create that lets them through. This way you can still hear from work, your partner, or family, but not be bothered by anything else.”*
4. Stop responding immediately. If you are focused on one task and your phone goes off, wait until you are done with the task at hand before you reach to answer it. We have voicemails and answering services for a reason. Unless there is an emergency, you do not need to respond immediately. The more you get people used to not hearing from you right away, the better it will be for your personal business.
5. Create a to-do list and stick to it. Don’t let distractions pull you away from your task at hand (this goes back to #4.) The purpose of a to-do list is to keep you on track for what you have to get accomplished that day. It’s like a road map leading you to your desired destination. If you keep veering off the road, you’ll either never get there or it will take you forever.
6. Work smarter, not harder. My real estate mentor and team leader, Michael Saccoccio always warns of the “time suckers” in business. These are the tasks that take too much time and do not fall under “income producing activities.” It could be as simple as avoiding the water cooler gibber gabbers who will talk your ear off before you can realize that a half an hour went by. Or perhaps, social media is taking up too much time. Instead of posting to each individual site multiple times per day, utilize free programs like HootSuite which allows you to post simultaneously to multiple social media sites from one portal. Be sure to “block time” in your schedule to allow for the income producing activities. It is important to stick to this and not let other “time sucking” actives to interfere.
7. When you go on vacation, actually go on vacation. If you are planning a vacation, let your clients and colleagues know in advance. Also, find someone who will cover in your absence. Advise your clients/colleagues of their contact information. Also be sure to bring your cover up to speed your current work. No matter what: leave your work at work when you are on vacation.
8. Stick to it. This is the most important of all the tips discussed and only needs to be summed up within three words.
The purpose of this blog is to ensure that you are well-rested, fully-charged and the best professional that you can be.
Control your business; do not let your business control you.
*Source: http://ipod.about.com/od/phonefeatures/a/Using-Do-Not-Disturb-On-Iphone.htm
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